


Choices to Make

by ClarenceJ



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Before Twilight, Drama, Family Secrets, Gen, No Bella Swan, Secrets, Suspense, Swearing, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-02-07 04:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClarenceJ/pseuds/ClarenceJ
Summary: April Hudson, a biologist studying animals and neighbor of the Cullen's, notices something wrong one day on her wilderness cameras which leads to her life being changed forever. Curiosity killed the cat.





	1. First Mistake

Fall 2008

             It was another rainy day in Forks as I drove back to my house after work, my red Ford hatchback quietly sloshing down the wet roads with the windshield wipers set at a quick pace. My name is April Hudson, twenty-one-year-old garden business associate and wildlife watcher with a completed degree in biology and still living with my parents. Was, at least. My parents had to move further south for their twin jobs leaving me alone upstate after graduation with their small house in the middle of freaking nowhere. I loved the rain of Washington until I had to leave and come back and get reacclimated to the weather.

             I was fine with the arrangement where they would periodically check in on me but most of their time is dedicated to their work. The only real neighbors I have are the Cullen’s but they’re nearly five miles away from, now my, little cottage, so there is almost no way to really call them neighbors. The most I’ve ever seen of them is passing by them in their cars and even that was too short. They were all introduced once when my family moved in but that was only once and since then I only see them when they need to stop in for flowers or ferns for their home.

            As I pull up to the cottage, the light from the bathroom is still on from the morning. “Damnit,” I sigh heavily. _‘Always forgetting to turn that one off’_ I berate myself silently in the confines of my warm car. I grab my beat-up leather work bag in one hand and jog inside to avoid being more wet and cold than usual. _‘It’s the last thing I need.’_

            “Hello, my little Mitten,” I greet my sweet little tabby cat with a smile. I’m greeted back with a small ‘mew’ before chuckling to myself and feeling the soft fur under my fingertips. Stripping off my clothes and getting rid of my bra, I finally feel free and alone in the quiet house. I don't feel like I'm the prettiest girl in the world with my large hips and thick thighs along with this dry skin in such a moist environment, but it’s my house to do what I please in it. I run my fingers through my shoulder-length hair as I let it out of its ponytail when a sound catches my attention.

           ‘Chirp! chirp! chirp! chirp!’ “What could that be my love?” I whisper lovingly partially to myself but mainly to Mittens as I walk to my computer where the noise is originating from. I took up my parent's love of nature a while ago and hung up trail cameras to capture animals big or small traveling across the property, but there hasn’t been a ping in a while. Until now.

The computer’s white light fills the room as it wakes up whirring and as I click my way through the files, petting Mittens rhythmically, while the start of the video plays like usual with the wildlife until there’s something that’s not so normal. The big buck walks through the woods, like usual, and then there, right after the third second, the deer is gone. There and then gone just like that. A whole deer gone without a trace.

            “What the hell?” I ask myself and I play it back nearly ten times before not being able to find anything wrong with the tape to indicate a glitch. “I guess I’ll look at the next one,” I say warily. My internal radar for weird stuff is slowly beginning to rise like a pressure gauge from the green zone to the yellow and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as I start to feel not so alone.

            The next camera I pull up is deeper in the woods near the middle of where the property is. A few seconds in there is a man beginning to dig a hole without any sort of digging equipment until there is a hole with the dimensions of a shallow grave, the deer is thrown in as though it weighs no more than a small sack of flour, and then the weirdest part occurs: The guy takes off his shirt, tosses it in with the deer, and then fills the grave back up again.

            _‘I know that shirt, I know that shirt’_ I repeat before it clicks; _‘It’s the hair.’_ The mop of blonde hair in the video is the same as the mop I drive by every so often; Jasper Cullen. It all comes together as I remember him coming in with Alice to get flowers wearing a light colored button up dress shirt.

            “No fuckin’ way.” I rewind it and hit play again only to watch the same thing happen without fault. “Oh my god.” I don't know whether to watch the video again or to throw up my dinner from earlier. “Oh shit!” I cry out, startling Mittens off of my lap, and standing up abruptly enough to knock my chair back onto the ground. _‘I have to tell someone—wait, I can’t tell anyone’_ I realize with a start. “The Cullen’s.” My blood turns to ice and my fingers become cold.

            _‘I have to get the shirt’_ I tell myself and if I want to get back before dark then I’d better get out there and start digging now. I give a kiss to Mittens, feed her, and put on all of my gear like mud boots, insulated rain jacket and finally grab a shovel from the shed. I don’t bother putting my bra back on because I’ve already taken it off so it’s too much of a trouble to put back on and there’s no need since, hopefully, I’m the only person in these woods tonight.

           Grabbing my headlamp in case, I start my walk out. It’s fairly short but the dig is difficult and plain annoying. The mud slips and sloshes around my boots as I try to dig the hole back out but after over an hour of straight digging, I finally get to it just around the four-foot mark. It doesn’t even look like he tried to hide the shirt separately as I tug it out of the narrow hole I’ve dug. I turn my headlamp on and turn around when something catches my eye.

           There’s another area of raised soil about ten feet away and another ten feet in the opposite direction. _‘This is a dumping ground’_ I realize and that feeling of terror turns my blood to ice once again. I fill the hole in as quickly as I can and immediately head home, not daring to look in the other mounds for fear of what I might find if I do.

            I slam my door as I come in, not caring that I’m dripping wet as I tromp through my house. I sit on the bed and put the muddy and blood covered shirt on my coffee table and simply stare at it. _‘I have to tell them and then just forget about all of this’_ I tell myself.

            I find a drawstring bag to put the battered dress shirt in, slipping it under my bed, and try to sleep. Try being the key word. There is so much adrenaline running through my body that every time I close my eyes I see Jasper throwing that deer in, bloodied and dirt covered, before simply running off. _‘You can’t stay quiet.’_

            The next day is giving me a bad case of the nerves as I dresses in my nice black slacks and olive green blouse to meet the Cullen’s, well mainly either Carlisle or Esme seeing as all of their kids freak me out with how they stare, but I’m uninvited anyway, so there’s that problem. I decide to go at nood so that the rest of the family might not be there, especially Jasper.

            With the CD with the copied video and the bag with the shirt in hand, I set out on the drive. As I get closer, more nerves collect in my chest making me breathe heavy and tremble at what they might say. I mean who knows, their son could be the beginnings of a serial killer and they could very well know about it and let me get killed too. The thought makes me slow down for a second before getting back up to normal speed.

            My heart is beating out of my chest as I turn down their rock driveway and, after another thirty-second delay, I’m finally sitting there in front of their monumental house. “You can do this. It’s really easy, you’ve got this,” I whisper to myself as I grip the steering wheel tight enough to turn my knuckles white. _‘stay calm and just be cool’_ I think slowly as I try to slow my breathing. I walk up the clean steps and my hand trebles fiercely as I lightly knock on the frame of the door to avoid potentially damaging or even smudging the glass.

             I see Esme walk toward the door, seeing as the whole house is nearly made of glass, and try to make my face look less like I’m going to throw up all over her. “Hello April,” she greets and her voice sounds like music to my ears. I try not to get distracted by her looks but dear god she is beautiful. Literally, everything is perfect about her. “What brings you here?” I find my heart rate rising even more at her being polite but if she knows why I’m here then she’s doing a damn good job at covering it up.

            “I’m sorry to bother you today,” I start and she smiles warmly but it doesn’t help my nerves. “Well, um, I wanted t-t-to, uh, tell you something but I didn’t want to freak you out,” I stammer. _‘Get it together’_ I yell mentally. “I have something to show you if you’ll let me, Mrs. Cullen,” I tell her politely back and hold up the CD.

            “And what is in the bag?” she wonders with a pinched brow and tilted head. When it releases its tension there’s not even a crease in her skin, but I blink away the errant thought.

            “That also goes with the video,” I tell her slowly. “If I may. . .?” I ask with a small gesture to enter their house and she lets me into the entryway. “Do you have a CD player or a computer I could play this on for you?” She nods her head and leads me into their house where we end up in a room with a computer and shelves and shelves of books.

             With shaky hands, I start to take the CD out of the case and I think I should tell her a little before I spring on her that her son could be a serial killer or a poacher at best. “So I don’t know if you know this but my parents got me wilderness cameras while I was studying for my degree and that I have them in the trees around my property, um, and I got a ‘ping’ last night. Uh,” I pause as I try to get my tremors under control, “so I looked at it and I thought you should be the first to know what I found,” I end in a whisper so quiet I don’t know if she heard me. I glance at her to find her looking back at me with worried eyes.

             I stand from the seat and offer it to her in case she needs to sit after watching something so unbelievable. I pull up the file and click the play button. The video of the disappearing deer and then Jasper digging the hole plays on a loop and I watch her expression change from surprise, to worry, back to a stony one that gives nothing away. She knows exactly why I’m here. She brings her perfect hand to the mouse, clicks the stop button and then looks at the bag I’m still holding in a death grip from my nerves. She goes to say something but I stop her before she can start with a slight hand motion and a look.

            “And I don’t know if it was the best idea to do but I dug up the shirt because I want nothing to do with this and I don’t want it anywhere near my home,” I whisper and widen my eyes slightly to see if my point gets across, but I decide it’s better to say it anyway. “I found two more mounds of dirt near this one, so I don’t care, and I won’t even ask what he is doing, or what you’re doing, but stop burying dead animals in my backyard,” I tell her severely.

             She looks me in the eyes and then nods her head once. I let out a nervous breath. _‘Thank god.’_ “I’m going to head home then. Here,” I hand her the bag with the shirt and then start to walk toward the door, resisting the urge to sprint. Everything inside of me is screaming for me to get the hell out of here.

             She opens the front door for me and I leave without another word and don’t glance back as I walk to my car. The entire time I feel as though I’m holding my breath and once I’m finally in my car I let it out. I start the car and leave as fast as I can while trying to not seem like I’m running away.

             The adrenaline is running rampant through me at this point and I’m shaking all over worse than a leaf in a storm. I let out one sob at the feeling as I finally reach my house. I hear a cacophony of meows and little cat screams surround me as I sit on the couch closest to the door and wrap a nearby blanket around me as tightly as I can. _‘What the fuck have I done?’_ I ask myself softly.


	2. Unfortunate Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April is having more run-ins with the Cullen's than she wants and really more than enough for her whole life, but they just don't seem to want to leave her alone.

**At the Cullen’s House**

Before April reaches her car Esme already has a phone in hand, calling Carlisle and texting her “children” to come home immediately. The Cullen’s do their usual excuses, not feeling well, camping trip, family emergency, etc, and head home at their impossible speed to find Esme waiting on the couch with a remote for their DVD player in hand and a strange scent in the air. It smells like Jasper. Esme pulls out the dirty shirt and places it next to her and then sighs heavily, well as heavily as a beautiful in every way vampire can.

            “What’s happened? What is it?” Carlisle asks her with a pinched brow. The two vampires embrace for a moment before Carlisle steps back and allows the rest of the family to stand around her in a semicircle. “What is this all about?”

            Her lips pull down into a deep set frown and pinched brow. “April came by just now to tell me about the trail cameras she has set up around her property,” eyes around her widen tremendously, “and to bring this to show me.” She holds up the empty CD case and then clicks the remote in her hand starting the video on their flat screen. “April also dug up his shirt from there as well to give it back and have nothing to do with this whole ‘mess’ as she calls it.” Edward runs his hand over his face, Carlisle holds his forehead, while the rest of the gang looks raging at Jasper. The video stops abruptly and all eyes turn to Jasper who stands there with his eyes wide in shock.

            “I am so sorry Carlisle. I didn’t know there were cameras around her property. I’m sorry to everyone,” he amends and then looks at his feet. He’s really screwed it up for everyone now.

            “I believe that at the moment she thinks Jasper is a poacher at best, but I could be wrong. She made a point to come here while you all were away. She could think that we all do this or what if she thinks that we’re all serial killers?” she adds quietly.

            “Oh, yes, the coven of vampires in the woods could be serial killers,” Edward snorts wryly. _‘How could this get any worse?’_ he asks himself.

            Edward regrets his words as Rosalie screeches at him in her head. “This girl could expose all of us and then what? We’re just supposed to pack up and move somewhere else?” She gains more volume and more anger toward Jasper. “Go back to Alaska?” Rosalie ends her question with a yell.

            Alice chimes in the second Rosalie is done, “But I don’t see anything about her exposing us.”

            “Yeah, like that makes it any better,” the blonde squawks indignantly back to her adoptive sister vampire. Her head is nearly in flames and Jasper is feeling second-hand rage like the human PMS he feels radiating off of the girls at the school. Rosalie’s heated glare is only diffused by Emmet.

            He steps up behind his wife, holding her shoulders and then slipping his arms around her waist. “Rose is right. This can turn into a problem for us fast if we don’t deal with it.”

            Carlisle sighs heavily ending their bickering amongst each other. “I understand this is a problem, but if she came here when there were fewer of us then she obviously isn’t comfortable with simply anyone talking to her. I will go later in the week to talk with her but,” he stops Rosalie and Edward from interrupting, “if I go now then she may know something isn’t right. I’ll tell her it was a misunderstanding and if she mentions poaching then that will be our story, but I will try to smooth this over.”

            If vampires could cry then Jasper would have tears streaming down his face in shame. “I truly am so sorry Carlisle.”

            “I know you are, son, but it will work itself out,” he nods back. “None of us knew about the cameras so this could have been any of us, but only by luck it was you,” he consoles his newest family member gently with a hand on his shoulder.

            “I’ll call the school and excuse all of you for the rest of the day,” Esme butts in and the others nod their heads.

            “Until I speak with April, no one is to go near her. Am I clear?” Everyone nods their heads at Carlisle besides Rosalie. “Rosalie-,” he warns but she nods her head in ascent. _‘How am I ever going to fix this’_ he thinks with another sigh.

**Later that Week**

             I spend the entire week terrified of coming home with Jasper potentially hiding in my house under my bed or one of the other Cullen’s whacking me in my sleep, but finally they’re here. I just know it’s going to be today. I’m standing here, minding my own business making dinner when there’s a firm knock on my door. _‘Shit._ ’ No one else visits me so I know it must be them. At least there’s only one of them judging by the one car outside but I could be wrong.

            “Coming!” I yell to the door and there are no more knocks after that. I turn the stove down to low heat and head to the door only to find a sharply dressed Carlisle Cullen standing on my sheet metal covered porch when I peer through the window. _‘Great’_ I think sarcastically. I’m hit with the feeling of the cold rain the moment I open the door and invite him in out of the cold, to be kind at least, even if he could be here to kill me.

            Although I want to swoon on the inside and outside at how hot he is in a young, spry dad way, I only settle for the swooning on the inside. “What can I help you with Dr. Cullen?” I ask politely to avoid worrying. I keep an eye on Mittens as she slinks into the room, jumping on the couch behind him and sitting on the armrest eyeing Carlisle with, I would take as, a dirty look.

            “I think you might know the answer to that already,” he charms with a beaming smile and perfect white teeth. “Esme told me about what you showed her and when I saw it, it was very worrisome to me as well,” he starts but I can tell there’s so much more than what he’s saying to me. “I think we may have had a misunderstanding about it all-,” he starts with another smile like he’s about to charm the pants off of me but I stop him right there.

            “Can I stop you there?” I ask but it’s not a question: it’s an order. “I know what I saw so it’s not really a misunderstanding. What I saw was Jasper bury a deer, a big deer too,” I add with my eyebrows raised, “into a shallow grave with little to no trouble and then throw his shirt in there too. Oh, and he dug the hole with his hands in less than thirty seconds when it took me over an hour to dig even part of it up.

             I also told your wife that I don’t care what stuff happens in your house because that’s none of my business but just stop burying dead animals in my backyard,” I finish while he looks at me calculatingly before he’s sighing and pinching the bridge of his stupid perfect looking nose. “Mrs. Cullen also didn’t refute any of it either, but again, it’s none of my business,” I emphasize.

            His face looks down at mine and honestly, he just looks like a damn tired dad that doesn’t want to be dealing with this at all. I offer him a seat on the couch but as he goes to sit there there’s a horrible hiss that Mittens spits at him with so much hate in her eyes. Her back is arched, her hairs are fully raised as she spits, hisses, and swipes at Carlisle like I’ve never seen before. Her claws are fully extended as she screams at him with teeth bared. Even Carlisle looks taken back at this behavior as he stands back up to move away from the couch and closer to me.

             I look between her and Carlisle for those seconds and realize that there’s something she senses that I don’t. It’s like how it’s said cats are able to see ghosts or have healing powers and sometimes they can sense things about others that humans can’t. Mittens being a vocal cat is a for sure thing ever since the day I got her but never outright aggressive like this or trying to scratch and bite on purpose. _‘Why is that?’_ I wonder slightly but snap out of my reverie to “defend” my guest from my cat.

            “Oh my love,” I coo softly as I redirect her attention to me instead of Carlisle and she calms down minutely, but it’s enough for me to scoop her up into my arms. “I guess that spot was taken,” I joke before schooling my face once again. “What were you saying about a misunderstanding again?”

            “We would appreciate it if you kept these findings to yourself,” he asks lowly and his eyes nearly flash with the hidden threat. _‘Keep this to yourself or else from the good doctor himself’_ I repeat in my head cynically, but I smile and nod as though it’s just a conversation between neighbors.

            “Of course and also because I sense that there is a silent ‘or else’ hidden at the end of that statement. That’s also why I gave the only copy of that video to Mrs. Cullen and I gave the shirt to her.” I casually slip the phrase “the only copy” into the sentence just to get him further off of my back. He nods at hearing that although looks taken aback a bit at me mentioning the ‘or else’.

            “Thank you, April. My family appreciates that and talking to us directly first,” he nods and keeps his straight face. _'His straight, pale, stony-NO!'_ I tell myself sternly. His eyes may be gold but they don’t seem warm like other’s, and he looks almost alien to me. We stand there for a few seconds and the words ‘you should go’ are on the tip of my tongue when I hear the sound of my pot boil over causing the flames to hiss and the metal to sizzle.

            “Oh shit!” I hiss out worriedly and set Mittens on the couch while I rush to the kitchen and try to pull the metal pot away with my left hand only to be surprised by searing handle metal burning my palm and nearly all of my fingers.

            "Fuck!" I cry out again in pain, letting the pot go clattering against the stove and moving over to the sink when suddenly I feel Carlisle’s hands grip my elbow and the other on my hip. I try to turn around but he pushes me over to the sink faster than I thought possible and sticks it under lukewarm water.  _'Damn this hurts!'_ I mentally hiss at the water hitting my skin.

            “Stop moving. Keep it there for at least 20 minutes,” he instructs as he then lets go of my arm and moves to the other side of me to move the pot off of the burner.

            “Are you sure you want to stay here to look at my hand?” I ask for what feels like the twentieth time when I just want him to say no and then leave.

            “Yes, I am. I would like to make sure that the skin isn’t damaged too severely. Hand injuries can be some of the worst because of the nerves,” he explains and every time he talks it reminds me of how cool linen feels on a warm day because of its smoothness. “Time should be about up,” he motions to me to give him my hand which I readily do, but what I’m not ready for is the temperature of his skin. I know I have days I’m this cold but his finger pads feel like freezing rain on my skin making shivers go up my forearm. “Sorry, cold hands,” he chuckles.

            _‘I think you should leave’_ I want to say but I don’t have the heart or the courage at this point. Something hinky is up here and my sixth sense tells me that I shouldn’t piss him, or any of the Cullen’s for that fact, off. There is another ripping growl from Mittens as she directs herself at Carlisle again from the kitchen table, ready to rip him apart if it wasn’t for me standing next to him.

            “Why does she growl at you?” I blurt out suddenly. _‘Fuck April why are you like this!’_ I scream at myself as he looks at me confused.

            “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” he answers innocently as he continues to look at my hand. _‘For too long’_ I notice as he goes over the same spots again and again.

            “She doesn’t hiss or growl at anyone. Never has, ever, until you came in. You know,” I begin slowly, “cats can see and sense things that other people can’t. and I believe that completely.” His golden eyes flash down to me and I know I’m getting warmer even though my blood is getting colder with the fear that’s building. It’s a sickening feeling that turns my stomach sour and the feeling burns. I take one more look between Mittens and Carlisle before I make my decision and my body floods with this sure confident feeling for one second. “I think you should leave.” There! I finally said it!

            “April-,” Carlisle argues gently but I ignore it and tug my hand from his.

            “No,” I interrupt him before he gets another chance to argue. “Please leave. I’ve told you about the video, you’ve looked at my hand, and now I want you to leave my home,” I reiterate. “This whole thing has made me uncomfortable so please just go.”

            His look of disappointment makes me feel bad about being so blunt with him. “Of course. I apologize, truly April,” he responds calmly which for some reason pisses me off even more! He knows something is up as if he’s just trying to be the calm one while I feel like I’m about to implode and look crazy.

           Another hiss from Mittens seals the deal as he takes his coat from the rack and leaves without another word but does cast one more look back with his stupid and beautiful gold eyes and slender muscles. The minute the door shuts I get the same big rush of relief and yet stress at the whole situation like when I returned from their house, and like before, it leaves me shaking and cold.

            I wrap myself in the blanket and just leave my soup on the counter to be forgotten and opt for a hot chocolate instead to help warm myself back up and feel better. These days I’m getting sick of the sudden boosts and drops of endorphins and adrenaline. I watch his car leave the driveway and thank every god for not letting me be killed today. I let go of the hot chocolate as I feel nausea and put my head between my legs. Hopefully, tomorrow is better without all of this shit.


	3. A Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April is approached more and more often by the Cullens, and it's nearly more than she can handle. They seem to be breaking through to her and gaining her neighborly friendship when problems arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for April's house
> 
> https://images.app.goo.gl/gYGnwaAQKRYxgQFp9  
> https://images.app.goo.gl/XKCsnsEDNipMBpKD7

**A Few Days Later**

I arrive at my house and see a perfect white envelope with a note sitting inside of my screen door with my name written on it in perfect script. _‘I don’t need this!’_ I internally groan as I take it off of the screen and carry it inside with me only to leave it unread.

            The last few days have been an emotional rollercoaster with nightmares at every hour of the night, heavy rain and thunderstorms bringing my mood down, and this urge to go back into the woods and dig up those sites. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and run my hands through my hair. _‘To read the note or to not read the note, that is the question’_ I muse.

            “Don’t read it,” I whisper to myself out loud. My stomach turns at the thought of not knowing what it says though and having it simply be gone like a secret that will eat away at me for a while until the Cullen’s come and tell me what they want with me themselves. Until then, I’ll just wait in suspense and try to get on with my life. _‘Do it’_ I tell myself, and with a heavy chest and rolling insides, I turn on the gas stove and light the note on fire, dropping it into my sink, watching it turn black and curl in on itself as the red devours the paper.

            A chorus of high pitched meows greets my ears as Mittens finally decides to come and say hello by jumping on the kitchen table. _‘Only for dinner’_ I smile to myself. “I’m coming my love,” I tell her with a small ‘tisk’ of my tongue and run the water to put the smoldering paper out.

            Sitting down on the couch has never felt so good! A nice glass of chilled wine in my hand and a cat pounding away some dry food to her seemingly never-ending stomach is exactly what I need on a Thursday night. I lean my head back, close my eyes, and - _‘Fuck’_ I sigh as there’s a knock on the thick wood door. _‘Who the fuck could it be now?’_ I wonder quietly as I walk to the door with an annoyed sway in my hips.

            The only thing I see when I look through the small window at the top part of my door is a head of spiky back hair and nearly glowing white skin. _‘Shit’_ “Fuck,” I whisper to myself. “No offense but if you’re a Cullen, I’m afraid I’m not home at the moment!” I call through the door but the only answer I get in return is a heaving sigh.

            “I’m Alice. April, I know that you’re in there and I know that you got my note since it’s not out here,” she calls, and if it’s the Alice that I remember then she’s certainly going to be persistent. Jesus, I mean Rosalie and Emmett are the scary ones. Even in high school, they terrified me and I was older than them! ‘ _They must be seniors by now’_ I realize.

            My anger flares up that this family won’t leave me alone even after I booted Carlisle out. “I didn’t read it and threw it away. I don’t want to be involved with any of this. I just want to get back to my boring life. I’m not opening the door for you so leave now, like right now please,” I call again. “And no offense but don’t you have homework to do?” I ask and honestly I know that it’s a low blow but I’m just pissed off at this point and her chiming laughter is making me that much worse.

            “We would just like to talk with you, maybe we can go on a shopping trip together and get to know you better!” she chirps and I feel my eye twitch. “Won’t you let me come in from the rain?” she tries again sweetly and I feel a pang in my chest at being so rude.

            “I’m really sorry but no! I am perfectly happy with everything that I have, so leave!”

            There’s another annoyingly perfect sounding sigh outside the door when I hear a small, “Fine then. Have it your way.” And then I watch carefully as she walks back to her fancy red convertible and simply drives away with only one look backward to me, and I duck behind the door hoping that she didn’t catch me watching.

            “Jesus,” I mutter, taking the wine in the glass and swallowing it all in one gulp, _‘Oh the things you learn in college’_ , and abandoning the glass for simply drinking out of the bottle. “I guess it’s one of those nights Mittens,” I tell her as she comes out with bright eyes and licking her chops. “What a beast you are.” I pat her on top of the head and let her climb on my stomach with her little paws pushing into my belly causing me to giggle and laugh. _‘What a good night it’s going to be.’_

_THE NEXT MORNING_

            The next morning I’m in so much pain. My eyes are aching and my mouth feels like I’ve had cotton balls stuck in there along with my dry throat pain from mouth breathing all night. I shift on my couch and my back is as stiff as a leather shoe making me groan like an old lady.

            “MEOW MEOW MEOW!” Mittens yells at me and I put my hands over my ears from how amplified it seems to me.

            “Alright lady! Jeez! There’s no need to be so loud!” I groan to her. I get up to stumble to get ready to work by wearing my long overalls and my long sleeve t-shirt under it. _‘Looking typical’_ I think as I roll up the ankles of my pants and slip on my short rain boots to get my gloomy day started. The spring time feels right around the corner so that means more planting, sowing, and selling is on the rise. Not to mention some nice spring showers after this chilling weather coming in.

            “I’ll see you later shorty,” I call to Mittens as I grab my insulated jacket and then head out of there. It’s a steady drizzle outside that can make your bones cold if you aren’t careful to wear some good layers. The shop is empty for the most part beside the one other employee and I offer to take over the front for a little bit while he does the seed collection and planting for spring. The chime at the door tells me someone has come in and without looking up I greet them.

            “Good morning to you as well April,” a musical voice responds and I feel the nearly overwhelming temptation to throw my head back and sigh heavily but I keep it to myself. _‘You’re at work and you’ll be professional’_ I reprimand myself.

            “What brings you in this morning Mrs. Cullen?” I ask and she smiles back at me in a way that would make an angel’s heart break, I mean I feel my own heart skip a beat for a second.

            “I was looking for some plants in my garden, hopefully, some flowers or maybe a tree to transplant,” she smiles again and I smile back out of habit when in reality I just want to hide from her golden gaze.

            “Well, all of the plants that we sell here are native so you don’t have to worry about finding ones that do well in this climate, and really pick whatever looks good to you. If you want to plant them yourself then pick the seeds but if you wait a few weeks then we’ll have some already grown for you.” She listens patiently as I list out all of the options and then nods before she begins looking around and I get her hint. “I’ll let you look around then,” I basically dismiss her to leave me alone and we mutually catch my drift.

            “Oh, Alice said she stopped by yesterday,” she starts and this time I do let out a frustrated sigh.

            “Yes, she also left a note on my door and then came by but I just wasn’t in the mood to talk,” I hint again that she should just drop it but I think she’s going on to annoy me.

            “She mentioned that you and she were going shopping some time-,” I stop her with an alarmed look and she has the freaking gall to smirk! Seriously to smirk!

            “No offense Mrs. Cullen but I told her I was fine with what I had, and if she tries to take me shopping she will literally have to drag me out of my house,” I tell her with a straight face. “And anyway I think my fashion sense is perfectly functional,” I motion to my overalls making her laugh again.

            “We’re simply trying to be friendly. That’s all. I know that you were uncomfortable when you were over and we’re trying to lower that,” she explains. I abandon my sweeping task and lean against the front counter.

            “I-,” I start but I’m interrupted by Steve. He’s the last person you would want to get stuck with.

            “Oh hi there Mrs. Cullen!” Steven bursts in from the greenhouse and my irritation rises like a kettle screaming. It’s not that I don’t like the lanky boy, but he refuses to be quiet for even a second and is comparable to a dopey golden retriever. “What can I help you with this morning?” he chirps again. _‘I’m done with this’_ I internally groan.

            “April here is taking care of me. April?” she calls my attention to her again. “Could you show me the trees outside?”

            _‘Oh I hope that you don’t murder me between them’_ “Of course!” I respond cheerily even though I feel nervous about what we might talk about. I walk her over to our infant trees that we have planted in rows next to and a bit behind our greenhouse.

            “Alice also told me that you wouldn’t open the door,” I open my mouth at that because it’s just not fair to assume I’m rude all the time but she holds up a single manicured finger, “and I understand.”

            “What? You do?” I ask surprised, surprised enough to stop walking. She nods and I’m so relieved I could cry.

            “My family can be overwhelming sometimes and overzealous but they’re pure in their efforts. I’m sorry that they’ve been overstepping your comfort levels, and especially for all of this weird stuff. I’ve been trying to keep the rest of them from checking up on you,” she chuckles and my gut clenches painfully.

            “Do you see any of the infants that you like?” I change the topic abruptly and she definitely notices. She points over to one of the pines and I smile to myself. “That one is a noble fir and it’ll grow a lot if you let it,” I smile. I love all of my trees and all of my plants that I rear and that I can see them grow and become real beauties. I’m very prideful of my work. I enjoy all of my animals that I help handle and all of my plants and I wouldn’t dare hide it.

            “I’ll take it then,” she smiles back. I go about tagging it for delivery with her name and address and we go back in to pay.

            “When would you like it delivered?” I ask her and her eyes flick over me so quickly I think I must have imagined it.

            “Will you be delivering it?” she asks and I laugh out loud and I nearly cackle. I take another look over at her and then burst out laughing again, nearly in tears the second time. “I’ll take that as a no then?” she asks and I nod my head vigorously.

            “I’m beyond flattered that you think I’m that strong! No, I don’t have the right expertise for that so we ask some professional arborists that we pair with to prepare the tree for transplanting and then to replant the tree where you’d like it.” I wasn’t expecting this when she walked in, but now I feel pretty relaxed with her. She’s just another customer and she’s quite nice when she doesn’t have a scary face as I’m telling her that her son is a poaching serial killer or something.

            “Well then that would be lovely, and it has been good to see you again April. I hope that you won’t be as uncomfortable with us as you have been from the circumstances.” I nod my head and really think about it. She is just about to leave when she turns around with a grin that could rival a cheshire cat, “I will also tell Alice no shopping trips.”

             I heave a dramatic sigh, steeple my hands, and breathe out a gracious, “Thank you,” before she leaves, allowing me to get back to my work. Hours go by of just planting and planting and more planting, maybe some watering in between the planting sessions. Besides the sale from Esme, we don’t (and won’t) have many visitors until all of our plants come in. By the time dusk rolls around, we begin to close up for the night, flip the open sign around, and pack up our belongings.

            “Have a good night April!” Steven yells on the way to his car. I smile to myself as I can’t help the bubbly feeling I have building up in my chest at his cheerfulness.

            “Good night Steven,” I call back with a wave as I hop into my car. I’m ready to go home. I keep the radio off as I drive down the back roads on the clear night, letting the clear sky flash along above me, letting my mind kind of go on auto pilot as I take the familiar roads back to my comfort zone.

             Pulling up into the dark woods has never given me so much comfort, and especially the light that flicks on at my pulling up always gives me relief from the dark. I enjoy the silence and how the trees absorb the sounds coming through the forest, and how it feels close but not constricting. I hop back out of my car and lean against the cool metal, letting my head flop backward and breathing in the cool night air. _‘Peace at last’_ I tell myself with another gentle sigh.

            “April?” a quiet voice asks behind me. I feel fear spike in my heart for a second but once I see who it is, it only makes the pounding worse. Jasper. He stands there in nice clothing, a grey button up with dark slacks, and most likely expensive shoes but I don’t want to break eye contact to look down. Everything about him just proves to me more and more that he IS who I saw in the video. His blonde, wavy hair and his build are exactly the same. Even in this light, I can see his amber eyes boring into my own light brown ones and I don’t know why but that makes my heart thud harder in my chest.

             My jaw clenches for an instant before I force myself to appear relaxed. “Hi, Jasper, um, what’s up?” I try to seem calm, I don’t fidget with my hands, I try not to shift my feet, and above all, I try to seem pleasant. If anything I’m confused why he, of all people, would be here. I would definitely be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

            “I wanted to talk to you,” he starts shyly and I nod my head to encourage him to continue but a shiver wracks my frame.

            “Would you like to come inside? It’s a bit nippy out here,” I comment and wrap my arms around myself tighter than usual now since I don’t feel as safe or as isolated as I did before with him here. His eyebrows pinch together and he looks uneasy at the invitation but he too relaxes as well before nodding his head. I turn my back to him to walk to my door, unlocking it and then turning back to face him with my hand on the handle.

             “I don’t know if you like cats but she won’t like you,” I joke and his lips curve into a tentative smile. The weird thing, even though there are plenty of other weird things, is that he’s standing nearly five or six feet away from me and has been the entire time. _‘Whatever. Must be a germaphobe or something’_ I wonder.

             “Mittens, I’m home!” I yell and I hear the tell-tale jingle of her bell on her collar and I smile to myself. “Would you like anything to drink?” I offer jasper with a nod toward the kitchen but he shakes his head shortly. “Please go ahead, I’m sorry for interrupting you before,” I add and grab myself a glass of water from the kitchen before hearing the twinkling bell enter the living room and abruptly stop.

              Jasper nods his head and his forehead pinches together again as if the pained expression is his resting face and for a moment I feel concerned for him until I remember to stay focused on what he’s going to say. “I wanted to apologize for giving you so much worry about my, uh,  extracurricular activities. It was just a big misunderstanding. You see I-,” I hold up my hand for him to stop.

              “It’s like no one in your family talks to each other,” I joke with a smile. Why does everyone think it’s a misunderstanding. “I’m not judging you,” I stop for a moment and weigh that statement in my head before sighing and seeing the doubtful expression from him. “Alright I am judging you, but I don’t want to know what you were doing or what’s in those other piles. Whatever is going on here is just really fuckin’ weird and way above my pay grade,” I add and his smirk reappears along with a sly look in his eyes. “Besides, I don’t need any more nightmares of you burying people or something,” I joke and his smirk only widens as if we were talking about some inside secret.

              “That’s fine by me, but I am sorry you had to see that. I was telling Esme that I wish we had been a little closer as neighbors so this didn’t-,” he starts to say but Mittens’ hiss cuts him off. She reacts the same way as she did with Carlisle with the teeth bared, hair standing up, and back full arched all while growling at Jasper. “This is your cat?” he asks with one perfectly arched brow and I nod my head, seemingly unaffected by the outburst.

               I feel calm rolling over me for the first time he’s here and I decide to tell him my little hypothesis. “I think she knows that you’re different somehow and she’s making me very aware and telling you to leave at the same time,” I explain and he looks back at me with another pinched expression before nodding and scoffing lightly.

             “One hell of a cat,” he scoffs again and shakes his head.

             “I’m sorry for being rude to your family. I really would just like to get back to my normal life but thank you for trying to get to know me,” I smile. “I do appreciate the effort in such a small town.” He smiles back and nods.

             “I have to head back now but I wanted to see you and introduce myself so I wouldn’t be the guy who buried a deer in your backyard,” he chuckles but I notice something odd about his face. There’s something I can’t quite place about it because there’s something different than when he first showed up. “Mittens,” he nods his head at her and she only responds by spitting and hissing back at him.

              The door shuts before I can remember and yet the relief is still there for an instant before worry rears its ugly head. I look into the window of my kitchen and when I gaze at my own face it hits me. My eyes aren’t visible through the glass and now I understand what was so different. His eyes were black. Pitch black without a hint of gold.

             “What the fuck is happening?” I whisper brokenly before looking back at the closed red door, silently hoping it will remain closed.


	4. Done with Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and the Cullens continue their misunderstandings with communications as she is called over to have a chat with all of the Cullen's. In light of her problems, April finds a new place that offers her relief from the crazy Cullens.

**Back at the Cullen House**

            “Jasper, what have you done?” Edward breathes out lowly the moment Jasper reenters the large house. He can feel the anger and the disappointment hanging in the air but he’s not the mind-reader here.

            “What do you mean by that? I went and spoke to April to get to know her better and-,” he gets cut off by Edwards blaring waves over anger rolling off of him.

            “And you’ve exposed us! She saw something and that is going to get us caught. Alice saw it,” Edward rages at the blonde.

            “I didn’t do anything that she would have seen or used to figure us out,” Jasper tells him and then he remembers the horrible burning in his throat and how closely she looked at him and maintained eye contact.

Edward nods his head, knowing that he heard all of Jasper’s thoughts and how right he is about that assumption. The burn in Jasper’s throat is like breathing in hot flames at every inhale. _‘I have to hunt’_ he thinks urgently and without another thought he leaps through the open window only to feel the wind running over himself and the trees.

            He catches the first deer he can find and drains it dry before burying it in the woods and catching one more to sate his hunger and this time puts a boulder over the top to avoid another nosy human finding it. It’s as if today is ‘everyone pick on Jasper day’ because he is ambushed by the entire family once he returns and is simply stared at by his ‘understanding’ family.

            “This is because I spoke to April,” he guesses and Carlisle nods his head while Esme hangs her and everyone else sighs in disappointment. “I was trying to help,” he says silently but everyone hears him regardless of the volume and disapproves regardless of intent.

            “And now she knows too much,” Rosalie hisses venomously which makes everyone shift a little too uncomfortably.

            Esme shift in her seat and hesitantly takes a breath to add in an idea that her children readily settle down for. “She is still very reasonable and I think that we can talk to her about this,” she suggests and Carlisle nods in agreement.

            “We will invite her over and we will ask her to be honest. Jasper you can help with that and Edward will read her thoughts. Alice can see ahead if anything will go awry and we can all act like a normal human family,” he concludes with a smirk and a nod. “Esme, I think you should call her.”

            She nods her head in agreement. “I’ll call her now. It shouldn’t be too late for her,” she mutters as she zips to get her home phone. The line rings three times before a female voice answers on the opposite end.

            “Hello?” April asks through the receiver. She doesn’t recognize the number but she knows she should pick up anyway.

            “Hello there April. I’m sorry to have called so late but I was wondering if you could come out and look at some trees around the property. I’m not sure if they’re healthy or not-,” she trails off and waits on April’s reply.

            “Um, I guess I can. When do you want me to come by?” she asks and even though she’s on the phone with Esme the entire house can hear April clearly with their super hearing.

            “Tomorrow would be best. I would like to see them taken care of before the new tree arrives,” she lies smoothly without missing a beat as all of the Cullen’s know how to do.

            “Well, um, I guess I can. How does three or four in the afternoon sound?” she asks and Esme agrees to the time and then hangs up the phone. Now, all there is to do is to wait for their plan to go into action.

**The Next Day**

            I walk toward their elaborate house dressed in my work clothes, my black overalls today and yellow rubber boots like usual while I put my hair up in a ponytail. I know the whole family is going to be here at this time but I just hope that they don’t bother to walk around with me and Esme while I look at her trees. _‘It’ll be fine’_ I chant in my head once again as I prepare to knock, but I failed to even notice Alice standing right there smiling at me through the glass.

            “Oh! I didn’t see you right there,” I call through the glass and, as very unlike Alice, she pulls me along behind her without speaking as we enter further into the house instead of walking outside. “Oh, wait, I don’t know if you want-well my shoes are muddy and I-,” I stop talking and walking when I see what awaits me. The entire Cullen family sitting on an expensive looking couch with each couple sitting with their respective partner and a spot that must be open for me.

            “Are we all going to talk about trees?” I ask them all in a small voice and I see a smirk or two around the room. My mouth is hanging open a bit as I get pushed lightly into a seat by icy hands. “Is this about yesterday when Jasper came over because I didn’t see anything and if I did then I wouldn’t say anything. I’m really just here about the trees,” I tell them quickly. My traitorous voice isn’t as strong as I’d like as it cracks and breaks under their stares, especially Rosalie’s flint-hard glare. I think I finally get it. “There are no trees here are there?” _‘Fuck.’_

            Esme gives me a small shake of her head and my stomach twists painfully in my body. I look over toward Jasper and notice something different than yesterday: His eyes are gold again. _‘His eyes are gold again’_ I think and as I do that Edward tilts his head back and sighs.

            “It’s about Jasper’s eyes. They aren’t black like last night,” he informs the rest of his family and my radar for weird stuff rises from green to red in a second.

            “How did you-? Wait, why would anyone have black eyes, that’s um, that’s totally weird right?” I ask frantically and stand to leave when Alice’s cold hand is placed on my shoulder, holding me in my chair with a surety that is holding me together for now but threatening to break me apart at the same time.

            Carlisle holds up a pale hand and I look at him with frightened eyes. “April, calm down, please,” he asks me gently but I am more worried about the hand on my shoulder and the rest of the seven pairs of golden eyes boring into me like lasers. I see his mouth move but I don’t hear the word he says, but by the lip reading, I see “Jasper” come out of his mouth.

            There’s this feeling that I can’t place as my head gets fogged and fuzzy and I can’t quite keep track of my thoughts as they come to the front of my mind but it’s like grasping at straws as they slip away. There’s one thing I can grab onto though and that’s a spike of hot direct anger.

            “That’s enough,” I snap and the feeling goes as fast as it came. _‘That’s better’_ I breathe. “I don’t know what’s going on here but you all keep involving me when I literally tell you not to and I’ve had enough!” I tell them as my voice slowly gets louder.

            “We want to know what you’ve seen and what you know about our family,” Rosalie demands from the end of the couch while Emmett stands behind her. Her voice is cold and low but it still sounds like music coming out of her mouth.

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Maybe the fact that nowadays everywhere I go at least one member of your family is stalking me or keeping tabs!” All of their weird features flash through my mind along with the whole disappearing dead animal bit and something clicks in my head but I’m not sure about it yet.

            “She knows pieces,” Edward blurts out and like a light bulb lighting in my head, I realize ‘ _I do’_ to his silent question.

            “She knows that we’re va-,” Emmett bursts at the same time as my _‘THAT’S IT!’_ I suddenly decide.

            “VEGANS! You’re all vegans!” I yell, nearly scream, over Emmett’s words. My voice cracks worse than a thirteen-year-old boy on a date and I try not to think about what he was about to say. The whole room freezes while they look around at each other with confusion. I shut my eyes as I set my forehead in the cradle of my hands and just breathe for a second to calm myself down. Five seconds pass, ten seconds pass, fifteen seconds pass and they are all silent.

            “April?” Esme asks softly and I raise my head from my hands to only find Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper there. “April you’re, um, you’re crying,” she motions to my face with her hand that has a tissue in it, _‘When did that get there?’_ and I bring my hand up only to find that she’s right. I gently accept the tissue to dry my eyes and wipe the wet tracks off of my face. _‘How-what-huh?’_ I wonder silently as I’m just confused and overwhelmed at all of this and I want to leave. ‘ _I want to get the hell out of here’_ I decide and stand on shaky legs.

            “I have to get out of here,” I whisper but I know they’ve somehow heard me. They always do. There’s a ringing in my ears and my hands are shaking like I’m in a storm. My knees are quaking and everything feels light, almost as if I’m floating out of my head.

            “I’m leaving and I don’t want to see you near my house again,” I tell them quietly. “You’ll just be the kind of weird vegan family in the woods that has really good skin and are really outdoorsy and poach and I won’t say a word because I’m done. I’m done with the weird stuff and I’m done with these weird ambush meetings,” I finish and look at them only to find them all back in the room looking at me with unblinking eyes. “Jesus,” I breath out and shake my head to dispel my shakiness and the floating feeling.

            “At least let one of us-,”

            “April-,” the heads of the family start but I let out another shaky breath that makes them think again.

            “I’m about to have a panic attack right now and I’m sure as hell not going to have it here,” I tell them as I’m on the verge of breaking down on their wooden floors. It’s a weird feeling sensing yourself teetering right at the precipice of losing yourself to these overwhelming emotions and not knowing how to pull yourself back, your heart pounding in your chest, in your ears, behind your eyes.

             I leave the house then, panting softly as I make my way back to my car and turn the key in the ignition. The feeling of the car rumbling under me is what grounds me to myself again until I put the car in drive. I blink and as my brain comes back to my body I realize I’m back in my driveway but I barely remember how I got there. _‘Must be on autopilot’_ I think dully.

             Tears are streaming down my face and my heart is thundering in my chest like a herd of horses running across a plain. I yank the key out, stumble out of the car, hearing the door slam but not being mentally there enough to care and stumble into my house where I settle for falling onto the floor by the couch. _‘You need to calm the fuck down and just get a grip April’_ I tell myself as I sit there and breathe with my legs curled up and my hand scratching the back of my head. My breath is coming in shakes and tremors as I block out everything out and focus on trying to stop crying like an anxiety-ridden middle schooler.

             The tears slowly stop flowing after a handful of minutes and I feel my body get heavier and heavier as I relax more and come down from this self-made stress high. My arms feel like lead but I know I can’t stay here on the floor, stuck between my corner of my couch and my wall while the day goes on and I have things to do like make a meal and take care of Mittens.

             My stomach growls hungrily at the thought of a sandwich but my heavy heart yells ‘no’. It makes my body fill with numbness in place of food. _‘I don’t think I could eat anything’_ I tell myself once I feel my hunger fade away. _‘The Cullen’s are fucking up my life!’_

            “MEOW MEOW MEOW!” she cries from surrounding rooms and it makes me want to cry at how the world really doesn’t stop spinning even if you want it to.

             I throw my shoes over to the door while I get her some food. The rest of the time is a blur as I make tea and wrap myself in a blanket, forgetting about the tea as I think back to the ambush of the Cullen family and their seven pair of golden eyes taking me apart layer by layer. More anxiety rears its ugly head making me remember Rosalie’s cold tone and her even worse glare. I drag my blanket to my room and curl up in my messy, unmade bed and tug a pillow to rest close to my chest as my head rests on it.

             The next time I wake up, the whole room is pitch black and my alarm clock reads 2:37 AM. _‘Great.’_ I’ve slept all day and now I’m going to be up the rest of the morning until I have to work. _‘What if I just call in right now?’_ I wonder. I feel jittery about what happened earlier today and try to sleep but I only succeed in rolling around in bed and decide to get up for the day instead. _‘Taking a bath might help’_ I wonder while scrubbing my face with both of my hands. I fill the tall tub with warm water and, at the last minute, reach under the door of my bathroom vanity to grab the small roll of paper hidden under the edge along with the lighter next to it.

            “Fucking Cullens,” I groan as I light the joint. Biology students are pretty much all the same once you get down to it. They all love fun and work and plants, but they also can appreciate the good nature around them in the form of the smokable kind. Not all of them are like me though, having baths, smoking a joint, hugging trees, but no one ever cares if it’s never a bad thing. Maybe a little stereotypical but not necessarily a bad thing. The smoke trails out the window as the hour passes and with some more hot water added, I’m high as a kite and nice and warm in a bubble bath.

             Dawn rolls around as the forest around the house lights up like a fairy tale and I know I have to get out soon. I dry off to head over to my cellphone and call into work for the day seeing as it’s only 6:30 by now. I don’t think I want to see the Cullen’s for a very long time, and seeing Esme come back into the shop for another tree is something I can’t deal with today.

            “Hey there Mary, I’m calling in for a personal day today. Yeah, okay, I’ll see you on Monday,” I end with her and give myself a thin smile. “Sandwich time.” The morning goes on slowly as the low light of morning comes peering into the house with gold ambiance while I put an egg and greens on toast for my raging stomach and give Mittens some of the wet cat food in the fridge.  

            “So what are we going to do today my pretty?” I ask the munching cat and she gives me one look before there’s a single ‘meow’. ‘ _La Push does sound like a nice idea today. You’re right.’_

              I catch a few more hours of sleep in my jeans and long sleeve shirt before I decide to head out for the beach. The trees flash by in a green haze while the sun beams through the woods and I sing along to the radio at the top of my lungs. I just want to get back to myself and I think being alone will help me with that, and maybe I’ll get my head on straight over the next few days.

             When I park my car there are very few people here but that’s good since it doesn’t disrupt the sound of the ocean crashing and flowing onto the store. It makes me relaxed. The grass still has big drops of dew on each plant and you can see the mist rising off of the patches of grass from the early morning chill.

              I let out a carefree smile as the birds chirp in the air and fly with each other. I tilt my head back and take in the fresh scent of pine and salt water. _‘This is what I live for’_ I think with relief. I take my time walking down the beach thinking about what happened yesterday and how angry they all seemed that I “knew something” about them like some big family secret. I shake my head and let my thoughts flow like water as I just breathe and walk along the cool, damp sand relax me further.

             “Hey there!” someone shouts and I realize I didn’t notice someone walking toward me at all. I wave over to them with a smile on my face and continue walking closer. The closer I get to him, the faster I realize I might be somewhere I’m not allowed. _‘Uh oh.’_

             “Hey!” I call back with my own wave again. “What’s up?” I ask kindly. My good mood isn’t quite spoiled yet but I could use some company to walk with. There’s only one man with copper skin and long black hair wearing running clothes that show well-muscled legs and some nice arms for sure. _‘Jesus he’s hot’_ I think with a smirk.

             “Are you alone out here?” he asks with a wave around the empty beach and I could shiver at that voice. I nod my head and shrug as I can’t think of the right words.

             “Um, hi, what’s your name? And, oh-oh yeah I am,” I stammer after asking his name with a shy smile and he returns it with a straight up wide faced grin.

             “I’m Sam Uley. I live over here on the rez,” he explains as we walk down the beach. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to rain with the lack of clouds and only clear skies for miles. “What brings you down here, especially this early in the morning?” There’s that charming smile again.

             “I’m taking the day off from work and just walking around the beach. It’s one of my favorite ecosystems,” I tell him and a second later I realize how nerdy that sounds coming out of my mouth. _‘Shit’_ I cringe with my whole being. "What are you doing out so early then if it’s just us?” I joke and he laughs a little. It’s rough and filled with raw emotion.

             “I’m running to my girlfriend’s house to see her and spend the day with her.” I sigh heavily and he looks at me with confusion.

             “Damn,” I fill in. “Here I was thinking you were the single type walking around on the beach,” I sigh dramatically but I’m a bit hurt on the inside. “Well then that’s good for you,” I add at the end and I really do mean it. A guy like him better get a pretty lucky girl to keep up with him.

             “What were you doing out here?” he asks and I smile. Time to tell him about the tree-hugging forest lady.

             “I like the beach and the woods around here. It’s a good place to take pictures,” I motion to my camera, “and to find some critters to peek at.” I smile. “I’m a biologist. I like looking at snakes, fish, you name it, just definitely not spiders,” I laugh. “What made you stop for me then? Won’t you be late for your girlfriend?” I change topics to just get the attention off of myself.

              He laughs again and there goes that beautiful smile. “You looked like you were a bit lost so I wanted to see if I could help you out.” ‘ _Innocent enough’_ I think. “I should get going but I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I’ll see you around if you come here often. If we have any problems with snakes or animals, I’ll make sure to look you up.”

             “Wait you don’t even know my name!” I laugh loudly at the cocky man in front of me and he also pauses as he realizes that I’m right.

             “Fine! Then what is your name?” he laughs back.

              I smile as this, all of this, interacting is just so effortless. “I’m April, April Hudson.”

             “Well then April, I’ll keep you in mind if there is anything I can come up with. I’ll see you around,” he bids and with one more wave he sets off running in the direction I came from.

             “Ugh,” I groan lowly. “What a guy!” I breathe and close my eyes and smile to myself. “Just your luck that you find a cute guy that is already with someone else,” I tell myself and my inner voice chuckles back. I take a look at my watch and I see a few hours have passed so I decide to check out the woods a bit and then head home.  

               As I hop into the car I feel light again, but this time it’s not like I’m about to break down, this time it’s with glee. The pure happiness that comes with a good day and good interactions fill me up to the brim and I don’t think I could ask for a better day to recharge myself from the drama.


	5. The Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April has been living a quiet life for a little while until there comes an accident that gives some more light on her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Twilight stories, I only own my own characters.
> 
> So hello again! Sorry I've been gone for a little while but I'm happy to have finished this chapter for you all to consume and love and read with open hearts! Have fun reading!
> 
> Inspiration for April's bed comforter:  
> https://images.app.goo.gl/Ws6guV5ZBCq3uCHQ9

            It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Cullen’s, nearly a month really. Esme never personally contacted me about the tree again but when I came into work to find it was gone I knew I might get a call. Honestly, I was on edge all that day about it and what might happen if I flat out refused to help her but the call never came. It’s been better too going down to La Push more often to walk on my own and feel the wind in my hair. I see Sam pretty often which always makes my day since he’s grown to like me more. We clicked fast as friends.

            The third time I see him down there, I learn that his girlfriend’s name is Emily and, even to an outsider to their relationship, it’s easy to see that he’s stupidly in love with her. The dopey smile that came on his face never left once he started to talk about her and the expert muffins that she bakes or the way she loves going hiking with him. _‘One lucky guy’_ I think to myself and I’m still partially jealous of how absolutely perfect they are together but I like my friendship with him as it is.

             I’m dead tired as I come home late, dragging my feet through my house and haphazardly throwing my sandy shoes through the house but I’ll clean it up later because I am an adult and I can deal with the mess. ‘ _Or at least that’s what I tell myself_.’ I lazily grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head as I then flop over into bed like a breaching whale. _‘Finally somewhere to sleep!’_

             I don’t get far under before the bright and persistent ring of my phone pierces through my sleepy haze. I ignore it as I focus on going to sleep and once the sound stops, I’m ready to pass out. I’m about to fall asleep again when the phone goes off, what feels like, even louder than before and I groan loudly as I roll over in bed and flip the phone open.

            “Hello?” I grumble into the microphone. I don’t know who it is but I have a feeling that it’s the last person I’d expect.

             A deep voice rumbles through the other end. “Hi there April, it’s Sam. Did I catch you at a bad time?” he wonders quietly.

            “Yeah, kind of,” _‘Yes you fucking did’_ I roll my eyes, “but it’s alright. It’s no problem. What’s up?” There’s a pause over the line and I shut my eyes as I wait for a response.

            “Well you forgot your camera over here and I thought that you might want to know I had it with me if you want to stop by at some point to get it.” _‘Shit’_ I think silently and flop my arm over my eyes.

            “OH! Thank you so much for grabbing that! I’ll head over to your place in a few hours, like when it’s not nearly one in the morning,” I tell him with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

             He sucks in an audible breath. “Uh, oh, right. I’m sorry that I must have woken you up, I’ll let you get back to sleep. Again, I’m so sorry April for waking you up,” he apologizes quickly but I know it’s really no big deal. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning then,” he trails off and I just close the phone without another word but with another groan into the quite of my room.

             About eight hours later I’m back in my car headed through the rainy morning haze back to La Push just like any other day until I see a slew of houses emerge from the mist. It’s pretty simple as I grab the camera from Sam, wish him a good morning and then I’m hopping back into my car heading home. The drive back is just as silent and I shut my eyes for a second as an eyelash falls into my eye and the second later that I open them there’s a deer standing right in the middle of the road.

              I slam on my brakes and they screech against the pavement but the deer doesn’t do anything but stand there as my heart drops into my stomach and my blood runs cold. My fingers feel cold and I decide suddenly not to hit the deer. I jerk the steering wheel of the car into the shoulder and wait for the impact that I know is bound to come after the bumping of the ground against the tires.

              It feels like forever before the force of grazing the tree slams the car forward, the seatbelt locking around my waist and chest like steel cable before the airbag hits me like a ton of bricks into the opposite direction. The sound of crunching metal and plastic from the car hits my ears and I know it’s coming. It’s a helpless, ominous feeling brewing in my chest. It’s one second of weightless suspension and then a second of full force all over my body and then nothing.

             “Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?” A voice is talking to me but I can’t see who it is. “Ma’am can you open your eyes for me?” he asks again and I try my hardest only to be blinded by overhead white lights and pinch my eyes shut again. Oh god my chest burns and aches! “Hey there you’re doing great, but we’re going to move you onto a bed now. Do you know where you are?” There’s a faint beeping noise that’s penetrating the ringing and shuffling of clothing and people, and there are voices becoming jumbled in my head making this all more confusing.

 I try to take a deep breath in only to have it lodge in my throat at the severe pain it causes.  _‘Why do I feel crusty stuff on my face?’_ My eyes roll around in my head for a second, leaving my field of vision blackened before I realize he repeated his question. ‘ _Hospital’_ I think blearily. I remember the deer in the road but I don’t remember how I got here. “Hos-tal,” I groan and the man places a hand on my own.

               Whatever is under me jostles and shakes as I’m lifted over onto another bed. The shaking forces me to let out a groan as my stomach rolls with it. I try to look down at the state of my body since it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest but they must have put a c-collar on me because my chin remains where it is and I’m being pushed down onto the bed by the shoulders by insistent hands.

             “April?” a musical voice calls and this time I almost groan again as I realize it’s Carlisle and when he leans over my face, his is all blurry. I feel my eyes slipping shut as I become tired again. “April don’t shut your eyes. We’re going to run some tests and then you can sleep but I need you to stay awake a little longer.” I faintly hear Carlisle telling them about me, my age, my name, my parents not being here but that he will get someone to call them. “We’re going to give you something for the pain, just stay with us for a few more minutes,” he comforts but it helps minutely.

             “April? It’s April, right? We’re going to get you into a CT scan to see if you have any spinal damage or broken ribs and if you’re cleared then we’ll take the collar off and go from there,” the man tells me again in a gentle voice and I groan my response. It’s a long wait as the tests are done, blood is drawn and I’m poked and prodded by needles before finally they decide to release me from the c-collar.

             “We’re going to put your nose back into place and it should stop hurting as much, alright?” the ER doc tells me and I nod my head without a care in the world until he actually puts his hands on my face. It’s a tough road to pop my nose back into place as he pushes twice (HARD) and it pops and snaps twice but when it’s finally done he’s right that it doesn’t hurt as much, although he tells me I’ll be colorful for a week or two. He tells me that I have one fractured rib and the others are heavily bruised from the impact of the crash but nothing to worry about too much.

              By now it’s late afternoon and the sunlight will start to wane in a few hours. _‘Nearly whole day’_ I think in portions of words. It reminds me of that feeling I had at the Cullen house where thinking was like grasping at threads that when you open your hand, they’re gone. I just want to go home.

              “Do you have anyone you can call to drive you home?” Carlisle asks me once all of the paperwork is complete and the insurance is dealt with, and he seems genuinely concerned as he’s taking out the IV and putting a bandage over the crease of my arm. I nod and my stomach nods with me. He must see my discomfort at the motion because he takes the time to look me over again with his cold fingers that still make me cringe.

              “I’ll prescribe something for the pain that you’ll have in your head and in your nose but other than that you were very lucky it wasn’t worse. The medication will make you fuzzy so be sure to read the information with it.” I nod again but stay silent otherwise. "It's going to be difficult breathing without pain for a little while but I assure you it will get better after another two weeks."

              Once he’s gone, I pull out my phone from the emergency bag the hospital put my belongings into when I was unconscious and driven into the emergency room. The dial tone comes on and rings for a few seconds before I hear the rough voice I was hoping for answers.

             “Hello?” Relief floods my veins.

             “Sam?” I ask and my throat begins to close up with emotion for the first time since the crash. “I might need your help. I, uh, got in an accident,” my voice cracks quietly. Tears burn my eyes and I bite my lips harshly to not cry more, hoping to get rid of the lump in my throat.

             “Wait, what? Are you alright? Are you hurt?” he demands quickly and I hear rustling behind the line that probably means he’s getting dressed or changed or something.

              “Yeah I’m fine but my car is pretty banged up and so am I. I had a, um, broken nose and they say I have a concussion so I need someone to drive me home. I was hoping that you could help me out,” I sigh heavily and rest my head in my hand before hissing and remembering the nose problem.

              “I’ll be right there April. Don’t worry about it at all. Really. I’m really glad you’re safe though. You’re at Forks general right?” I make a small noise in agreement. “I’ll be right there.” I shut my eyes and exhale deeply as I end the call. _‘I’m so glad that I made friends. Now all I have to worry about it getting a car and everything else.’_

               I only have to wait 30 minutes before he pulls up and sees my bruised face along with me still sitting in the wheelchair because of the dizziness that overwhelms me when I stand up. The shock on his face is evident as he looks me over. It’s a bit of a process getting into the car and getting home but Sam takes his time holding onto my hand with a firm grip and keeping me steady on my feet when I have to move from place to place.

               As the pain medication starts to kick in I just want to talk and talk and talk, and I feel the pain melt away like ice melting. “I have to feed Mittens,” I tell him sluggishly and he nods his head. “No, like I have to feed her and cuddle her and pet her,” I emphasize.

               “Yeah, I know, you told me that a few minutes ago,” he responds patiently as he puts my stuff on the couch. _‘I did?’_ I wonder.

               “Here kitty kitty kitty,” I sing as I look around for her and smile stupidly when I hear the twinkle of her bell. I pick her up and hold her close to me and kiss her cute little cat face. I get a cacophony of resistant meows in response to my suffocating amount of love but I hold onto her because I love her. I clumsily feed her (spilling most of the food on the ground) before being shooed into bed by Sam.

               “Are your parents going to come and see you tomorrow?” he asks me quietly as I tuck myself in and I shrug my shoulders lazily.

                In the silence, my heart sinks in my chest and I haven’t felt so lonely in a long time. “Sometimes I think they care more about their work,” I whisper and in my hazy doped up state I see his eyes soften. “Before I graduated they were already packing to just pick up and leave me here. It’s okay,” I lie to myself, “They’ll probably come up for a while but not for long. Science never sleeps.”

               “At least you’re okay,” he responds in the silence that follows my wallowing. “I’m going to get you some water to drink then you should try to go to sleep.” I nod my head and curl deeper into my pillows. I hear him filling the glass but then he stops and must make a call because he’s talking in a hushed tone and I faintly hear ‘stay the night’ before I fade into sleep. The next thing I wake up to is this horrible throbbing in my nose and in the base and font of my head and the damn pressure is back on my chest.

                I let out a whimper as I roll out of bed in a clumsy search for the pain medication along the length of the dressers. I know I must knock over a few things along the way but eventually find it, swallow the pills and then head back to sleep where the pain beings to melt away.

_THE NEXT MORNING_

               Sunlight filters through the room and I feel Mitten’s cold nose rubbing against mine and hear her little purrs and mews. _‘What a sweet girl’_ I think and realize somewhere in the back of my mind that thinking is clearer than it was before. Yesterday, it was like thinking in circles whereas today it’s more like a wobbly line.

                I take a look at myself and when Carlisle told me I’d be colorful I didn’t believe him but I sure do now. The bridge of my nose is a blue and black mottled mess while it descends into the corners of my eyes where the black and blue mess begins to turn purple. _‘Oh wow’_ I wonder as I lightly touch the bruised area with my fingertips. In a way, it looks beautiful, in a sick type of way, but it looks like it will heal straight.

               I walk out of the room to find the big and buff Sam sleeping on the couch like a dog sleeping in a puppy bed that’s too small for him.

               I decide on making breakfast and letting him sleep in because judging by how he doesn’t even twitch when I make noise means he must need his sleep. I make eggs and some toast and watch as he slowly shifts on the couch before peeking one eye open and then another to see what I’m doing.

             “Good morning,” I softly call over to him. I smile just as gently and try not to be too expressive since my face is still tender from the airbag impact and broken nose but I want to try and make myself look less scary from the bruises. I scoff as he tries to stretch out full on the couch but only succeeds with stretching part of his body that isn’t squished by the couch. “Come on over and eat. I think you deserve it after putting up with me being dopey and for driving me from the hospital.”

             He gets up from the couch with some pep in his step and quickly helps me put the plates and glasses on the table. “How are you feeling this morning?”

             “Um, pretty alright. Not great but not horrible. I mean I look horrible if that counts,” I chuckle with a gesture to my face.

              "Yeah the black eye and broken nose go hand in hand,” he smiles. “Yeah I’ve had ‘em a few times,” he laughs to himself. Breakfast is a quiet affair with some light conversation but some awkward pauses as well.

              My fork clinks loudly against the plate as I set it down. My hands wring in my lap as I try to find the right words to thank him. “Sam,” I start quietly, “I wanted to say thank you for coming to get me. You didn’t have to but I’m really glad you could. I definitely owe you a huge favor if you ever need it,” I laugh to clear the tension and it seems to work as a smile creeps over his face and he nods.

             “Alright, alright, I’ll take you up on that,” he drawls after a sip of orange juice. “Will you be alright if I head out in a bit?”

             “Yeah. My parents will be up later today but I just really want to thank you for your help. It was short notice and I just-,” I lose track of what I was going to say but thank you isn’t enough. “Thank you. Really Sam thank you.”

              “That’s what friends do April. I’d do it again too,” he nods his head. With one last long chug of juice and another quick bite of the scrambled eggs, he is off and running toward the door to go back to his like and leave me alone with Mittens. The door shuts with finality and that’s it. There’s finally silence.

              “It’s just you and me Mittens.”

              “Meow!” I sigh.

              “What are we going to do today until those-who-shall-not-be-named arrive? I should call off of work for a little while and get things sorted for the next few weeks,” I tell her as she hops onto the table and sniffs the plates and glasses before looking at me hungrily. “Being an adult is gross. Remember that for when you’re one,” I point my finger at her and tisk my tongue.

                The rest of the day is spent calling insurance companies, crying on my couch surrounded by papers because of all of this bureaucratic nonsense, and then I get a call that cuts through the tense air. “Mom? Hello? What’s going on? So when are you going to come up?”

              “About that sweetie. . .” she trails off quietly and the slight smile I had on my face turns into a grimace before turning into a full frown. “Your dad and I got roped into a big meeting and we won’t be able to come up and check on you. I’m so sorry honey, I really am. You can always call us but I’m sorry,” she ends up whispering the last statement before leaving the silence at the end.

              “Yeah. I know you are. I’ll talk to you later,” I tell her quietly and then hang up with waiting for another word. My heart feels like it’s breaking, splintering in my chest, and I don’t know if it’s the meds making me emotional or me playing off of my own and the meds but a tear slides down my face and then another and another and another until I gently bury my face in my hands.

               I let out a frustrated and pained shriek into the silence that my chest protests before dissolving into small sobs. _‘I’m so alone’_ I think with my cracked heart sitting in my hands. _‘I am so alone.’_ I think about reaching for a drink or a joint to quell the pain but then remember the extreme side effects that could come from it and that it’s only been a day since the accident.

               I decide to take an early night when in reality it’s more like me washing my face, skipping brushing my teeth and then going to bed still crying, hiding under my colorfully patterned comforter.

_TWO DAYS SINCE THE ACCIDENT_

I shield myself from the world until the next morning full of disappointment already where the silver light of the grey morning bleeds through the curtains, and when I sit down with my coffee, looking through my windows out at my driveway, I see a black Mercedes and Carlisle Cullen making direct eye contact with me through the window. _‘Fuck this.’_


	6. Pull Back the Curtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April feels the Cullen's closing in on her, and even with her little reprieve with Sam in her life, she finds herself unknowingly digging deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters, only my own.
> 
> Thank you all so much for holding in there! I've had the biggest case of writer's block and it's been driving me crazy! With school starting and my computer breaking, it makes the whole mess even more complicated, but I'm glad I could finish this one for you and hopefully, I'll get the rest done in a timely manner.  
> Thanks again!

**Chapter 6**

April POV

            “Can I help you Dr. Cullen?” I ask him as I open my front door but remain standing in the archway to keep him from coming in. His smile makes my heart break and it irritates me to no fucking end. It makes my chest hurt more than the fractured ribs.

            “I wanted to stop by to see if you were doing alright and if you needed anything. I noticed your parents aren’t here. . .?” he states the obvious most likely hoping that I’ll fill him in as he trails off. _‘Whatever.’_

             I shrug, trying to be nonchalant about it all. “Yeah well they were going to but then work came up and they canceled. Disappointing? Yeah, it is, but I’ll live. The toughest part is going to be finding a car,” I joke. “Everything up here is rusted to hell compared to where I went to school,” I sigh as I think about it. “But again, it’ll be fine.”

            Carlisle smiles again and nods his head. “If you would like I could ask one of my children to give you a lift if you’d ever need it? Or Esme if you’d prefer? I could ask Emmett to keep an eye out for a car-,”

            “NO!” I suddenly shout in a panic and wince as it makes my ribs hurt. Seriously I never knew you used your rib cage for literally everything! I suck a sharp breath in through my teeth as I clench my fist. “Um, I mean no that’s alright. I wouldn’t want to be a bother at all. I have a friend who can give me rides.” My cheeks are red from embarrassment from yelling at him, but even thinking of being in an enclosed space with one of them makes my stomach roll.

            “Do you need me to look at your ribs again? You seem in quite a bit of discomfort.” I shake my head as I get everything back under control. “Alright then. We’ll be around if you need us. That’s a shame that your parents couldn’t come up and visit but is everything else going alright with your head?”

            “Um, the medicine still makes my head spin but I’m better than I was, I guess.” Silence follows that statement as he just continues to nod his head as if to quietly say that’s normal or that that’s okay in some way. “I’ve got a few things to do around the house still so thank you for stopping by, but it wasn’t necessary.” _‘I just need him to leave’_ I think tiredly as I know my coffee is getting colder by the minute. I refuse to say anything else in order to make him realize I’m done with this and it looks like he understands it very well.

            “I’m glad that you’re doing better so I’ll get going. But please, do call if you need anything,” he reiterates with a knowing look. _‘I won’t.’_

            “I will. Thank you.” I nod once more before retreating back into the doorway and shutting the door on him.

             I spend the rest of my day looking for cars, managing a bit of pain, and texting Sam about how I’m having little luck with the first task. I find a few cars that seem to be good options but they’re fairly far south of here. Other than sitting around healing or doing house work I just sit here and watch some shows until dark.

            ‘Chip! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!’ “What could that be honey?” I whisper to mittens as I pull up the wildlife cameras again. The lights are dim so when the blacklight comes up it lights up the whole space. Mittens purrs louder than a motorcycle as I flip through the videos of a buck, a small bear, and a doe and then there’s the one I’m not so sure of. It’s blank at first.

            “What do we have here?” I ask myself as I begin to get the same bad feeling in my gut as I did with that first video of Jasper and the deer. This little voice inside of me is screaming at me to not watch it but another sick little part of me is telling me to watch it. It’s similar to the girl in the horror film that turns away from the closet and then turns back to reach for the door and gets murdered. _‘Am I going to get murdered because of this?’_ I think as it hits me like a train. _‘Will they actually kill me if I find out more?’_

            “I’ll take that chance,” I decide suddenly as I play the clip. It’s blank almost all the way through until the very last second where there’s a blur and then the camera moves to a completely different angle. I’m almost about to stop it when I notice something on the edge of the screen. It’s the back of someone. “Jesus FUCK!” _‘This is how it could get worse’_ I sigh heavily.

            Right there on the back of the picture is a person’s back and it looks like Rosalie. She’s literally right there with her pretty blonde hair and her fancy clothes and her well-toned back end. When I hit the play button she stands there for a few seconds before disappearing in less than a second and I know it’s right in the same spot as Jasper was in. _‘Do I look? Do I not look?’_ I war with myself for a few minutes, watching the tape over and over again to see if there is any chance I’m wrong but I know in my gut I’m right. _‘Fuck!’_

            “I didn’t want to be right,” I growl at my computer. “I know you won’t help me,” I scoff at the cat on the side. “I have to fix the damn camera anyway.”

_THE NEXT DAY_

            The next morning is a long one. At dawn, I take a shovel and my small tool belt and slosh around the wet ground all the way to the camera location where I’m rooted to the spot at what I see. It’s been dug up! _‘Fuck me in the_ ass’ I hiss internally. It’s been dug up and now there are plants where the mounds of earth used to be, like little ferns have been uprooted and planted there instead of dead who knows what. The whole rectangular mound has been dug up in each spot and has been patted down into even ground.

            “Well fuck me.” I purse my lips, turning toward the camera on the tree and I’m more upset now that I realize Rosalie damaged the back when it was wrenched from its spot. I have to cut the brown plastic keeping it stuck to the tree and take the whole apparatus back home with me hoping that it isn’t broken too badly.

            It turns out that only the back is scraped but I’m more worried about what I do with the video. _‘Do I give it back to the Cullen’s? Do I delete it myself and not deal with this right now?’_ This has to be the only time I feel the need to call Carlisle. I sigh to myself at the thought.

            Reluctantly I take my cell phone out and begin to dial their home phone. It only rings twice before a chirpy voice picks up, “Hello April!”

            _‘Fuck me’_ I sigh internally. “Hi there Alice. Um, I don’t know what to say but um I thought I asked for your family to stop messing around on my property and I would appreciate if you stopped planting ferns and digging up bodies. Please. Stop.” There is dead air between the lines as I’m pretty sure I’m going to get a threat but all I hear after a second is a light sigh.

            “You must be mistaken again April because-.”

            “Nope, I’m really not. I have another video of Rosalie moving my camera right there in the fucking frame. Just please stop. If you want it then come by later or I’ll just delete it. I really don’t need this right now. Really.” I hit the end button on the beat-up flip phone, upset and regretting that I even called in the first place.

            I decide instead to look over the car options once more before I take a breath and phone Sam, hoping that I’ll be able to go see them with him, but it goes to voicemail. “Hey there! I was wondering if you wanted to take a little road trip with me to find a car. Everything up here is rusted to hell so we would be going south of here if that’s alright. Call me back later if you want to talk. Bye.”

            _‘Nothing to do now but wait’_ I sigh. A few nerve-racking hours pass sitting on my couch, reading, watching a movie or two, and looking at that CD on the coffee table then there’s a knock. _‘Shit.’_ One look outside confirms my suspicion that not one, not two, but three of the Cullen’s have come here to collect one CD.

            Mittens is frozen in place as she’s staring at the door like she can see right through it. “Easy, good kitty,” I whisper but even as I offer my hand for a nice sniff she stays locked on the door. “Let’s do this,” I prep myself. I grab the CD from the table and take a calming breath once I put a hand on the door handle.

            I’m met with three pairs of golden yellow eyes and I’m not surprised when one of them is Carlisle while Esme and Rosalie stand slightly behind him.

            “April,” Carlisle greets me with a pained smile that almost looks nervous. _‘Shit, I can’t do this.’_ “May we come in?” he asks with another stupidly sweet smile but a hiss behind me makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.

            “No you may not, and here is your video. Again, it’s the only copy and also Rosalie broke my camera. Although I appreciate the ferns I still don’t appreciate digging up and probably burying more things in my backyard.” I stop after that and let the silence sit between us, but they all look like statues.

            “Well? Are you going to give it to us or not?” Rosalie bitches and I can’t help but frown. _‘Bitch’_ I mentally grind.

            “Rosalie,” Esme hisses but I’ve had enough.

            “Whatever,” I sigh as I hold out the case, knowing it’s no use to try and argue with her (or them) about this, and she snatches it out of my hand and I can feel the chill radiating off of her. I just want to slam the door in their face! just as I think this isn’t about to get any worse Sam pulls up in his car and I immediately see the shock on his face as well as that alpha male look In his eyes all the way from here. “Fuuuuuk this,” I groan earning a disapproving look from Carlisle.

            The look on Sam’s face says everything as he gives the Cullen’s a once over and puffs his chest a little to appear to be big and tough. “Is everything alright here April?” he calls as he gets out of his car and he actually looks over the three Cullen’s from head to toe, striding past them and entering my house without another word. _‘Alright then.’_

“Yeah actually they were just leaving,” I heavily imply them leaving and raise my eyebrows out of Sam’s line of sight earning a curt nod from Carlisle. “Thanks for stopping by but I have things to get to today.” I bid them the forced farewell leaving me with Sam who seems on edge as he watches them leave.

            “What was that about?” he wonders from my couch.

            “I mentioned to Carlisle I was looking for a car and his daughter Rosalie is really into them,” I lie. “And her boyfriend and well brother Emmett is really into them too but he couldn’t come.” Sam raises his eyebrows at this.

            “You mean the siblings are dating? Isn’t that like illegal or something?”

            “Well yeah I think it is but they’re all adopted children so I think it’s alright but just socially weird,” I muse. “Are you ready to head south of here to look at the car? I had the dude save it for me for like fifty bucks.”

            He nods his head and shrugs. “Yeah, I guess I’m ready. What kind is it again?”

            “Some kind of Volkswagen with the hatchback shape like my last one,” I say as I put my coat over my arm and grab my purse.

            It’s a peaceful drive down, pretty quiet as well, but Sam doesn’t say anything negative about it. I think he realizes I’m a little lost in my head from the Cullen’s coming over. _‘Even though I asked them over’_ I mentally chide myself.

            “So, do they do that often?” Sam finally breaks the silence and he breaks me out of my thoughts.

            “I’m sorry? What did you just ask?” I ask as I only caught the tip of the sentence.

            “Do they do that often? The Cullen’s? They looked like they were intimidating you when I pulled up,” he mentions and he’s not wrong of course. They’re like silent bullies at this point.

            “Well, uh,” I struggle for a way to put it seeing as they’re the serial killers or poachers or whatever story we’re sticking with, “they stop by sometimes. Mainly Carlisle since the accident but I’ve gotten a few offers to stop by their house and say hello or to go shopping with their kids.” I chuckle at the thought of being dragged through the store by Alice. “It can be a little tiring though. They freak me out,” I whisper and I realize that’s the first time I’ve told anyone.

            “Do you want them to come over if you don’t like it?” The soft music in the background fills the space as I think and I’m honestly not sure how to respond.

            “They scare me a little.” The air between us gets thicker. “Don’t say anything,” I stop him as he looks at me with an open mouth and shock on his face. “It’s no big deal I’ll just kick them out the next time I see them. Oh look, we’re here!” I distract him from the conversation causing him to swerve into the used car lot and park right in front of the car we’re looking for.

_ONE HOUR LATER AND OUT OF MONEY_

            “Yeah I can drive it back up to Forks but I’ll follow you. Do you want to meet at your house on the rez? Oh! What about I make dinner and I’ll bring it over and I can also spend a little time with Emily?” Gosh. The smile that that man has can light up a room!

            “Dinner sounds so good right now! Would you mind if I invited some other people over? Some of the other people you know like Paul and maybe Jake if he’s up to it.” I shake my head. “Does six sound like a good time?” I nod again, this time with an even larger smile on my face. _‘This day might just be turning around.’_

            The car ride back feels lonelier without him but I’m glad he accepted my offer of dinner. Pulling into the driveway has never felt so good and with the new car I feel like I might be able to get back to normal, maybe even feel like before the Cullen’s normal. _‘Maybe’_ I think with another giddy smile.

            “Making chicken chili,” I whisper sing as I send the text to Sam with a final ‘click’ of the key. “You ready Mittens? This Chili is going to blow you away.” Ignoring her petulant meows as I cut chicken I flip on some music and get right to work getting the chili put together. Forty-five minutes later my crockpot is bubbling away and I’m ready to head to La Push.

            Lights are on in the log cabin and there are a few cars here so I’m excited. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the whole group so this is really a chance for me to shine!

            “April!” I hear all the way through the door that swings open right as I get to it.

            “Emily!” I cheer back, giving an awkward motion to the pot in my hands so she lets me right into the house with people bee bopping around the stilts with their own food like cornbread and some mac and cheese that makes my mouth water and my stomach growl furiously.

            “Look who decided to finally show up!” Paul yells and I can’t help but smile as Jake joins in on the teasing as well. They’ve all grown on me like a second family of sorts. It’s always so warm and familiar here. “Dang girl! That deer got you good!” _‘Always a charmer that Paul.’_

            “Yeah, but I showed up with the chili so suck it,” I grin as the pot begins to bubble again.

            “Here we were just about to tell Jake about one of the tribe stories. Seeing the Cullen’s today reminded me of it,” Sam calls over from a chair amongst the small circle they have spread out by the fire. _‘I kind of like stories’_ I muse as I give the pot a quick stir.

            “Is it a scary story?” I wiggle my fingers as I say ‘scary’ earning one laugh and a smile from the little crowd but I can tell the mood is slowly becoming serious.

            Sam tilts his head back and forth, and in the end shrugs his shoulders. “Not exactly but it’s more like an urban legend or like folklore rather than a scary story,” he supplies and I’m already curious. The Cullen’s are already weird enough so I feel like nothing will surprise me at this point. “So did you know that Quileutes are supposedly descendants of wolves. . .”

            I hold my breath as he reaches the end, feeling like I’m about to get thrown into another panic attack as my chest tightens and I feel my chest ache from the tension but my mouth feels stuffed with cotton.

            “So what were they really?” Jake asks after a pregnant pause, causing my head to spin as my mind forms ‘ _v-‘_ ‘BEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP!’ The oven timer goes off sending me nearly flying out of my seat in shock with my heart in my throat and my appetite reduced to nearly nothing. _‘Fucking dammit!’_ I silently curse as Paul laughs at me while Emily only looks concerned at my anxiousness.

            “Are you good April?” I clear my throat before nodding and slapping on a fake chipper smile.

            “Yeah, I think I got a little too invested in the story,” I force another chuckle as I stand to get some food. The thought of it making my stomach turn. _‘I know what he was going to say’_ I dread quietly. _‘They’re the cold ones.’_ My stomach remains in a tight knotthe rest of the evening even though I try to stay present by laughing and smiling with the group.

            A few tense hours later leaves me exhausted and with very little leftovers. “Have a great night everyone! Thank you to Sam and Emily for hosting!” I call with another smile as I load the car up. The second the car door closes my hands are trembling. _‘I know what they are. I know what they are. I know what they are.’_ It’s a constant mantra in my head.

            Everything falls into place. All of the clues and evidence, and then there are the whacky things that have been going on over the past few months. The dead animals and the blink and you’ll miss it speed. It all falls into place. Rock plays softly on the radio as I drive home. It helps to break up the intrusive thoughts that I know will be plaguing me tonight but I’ll worry about that in a bit.

            The lights are off all around the house and there a bit of a chill in the air. _'Did I leave a window open?'_ I wonder for a second. “Mittens? I’m back sweetie!” I call, but I’m missing the faint tinkle of her bell and her little meows. “If you’re going to hide that’s fine but then you aren’t getting any pets after I go to bed,” I tell her, more like I tell myself as I throw off my shoes and strip out of my clothes layer by layer. “Mittens?” I reach for my bedroom light, “Why are you—AHHHH!” I shriek at the top of my lungs in shock at what I find on my bed instead of my cat.

             Sitting on the edge of my bed are a perfectly dressed Carlisle and Esme Cullen, but without their usually pleasant homemaker expression. “April,” Carlisle starts with a cool tone but my senses are in overdrive picking up every sound and scent, “We need to have a quick chat.” I think that’s the point when the ground rushes to meet me as it begins to fade to black.


	7. Welcome to Oz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rapid escalation of behavior from the Cullen's leads to more and more problems for April, and the Quileutes being slowly dragged into this as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters only my own.
> 
> Hey there again! I'm so excited I got this done so quickly! I can't say how much I love the comments that you all post and I'm beyond glad you love the story, so I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
> Thanks again <3

**Chapter 7**

_April POV_

            The first thing I hear is the rustling of clothes and then there’s something under me _‘my bed?’_ I wonder faintly, and then there are the voices.

            “I told you we should have done it my way,” a female voice argues bitterly.

            There’s a sigh from across the room. “Yes, you were right, but we shouldn’t do this here.” There’s a long pause and then another sigh. “April? Are you awake?” Something cold is placed on my face but it can’t be a washrag because it’s not wet.

            I’m tempted to nearly say ‘no’, no matter how petulant it might sound, so I decide to try and open my eyes. It’s tough as they don’t want to stay open and adding the fact the light is a little blinding, it’s difficult, to say the least. There’s noise to my left, a hard noise, maybe a glass being put on a table? I look over to find that I’m right as I see one of my tall clear glasses with water and quickly accumulating condensation along the side.

            When I look into the eyes of my intruders I’m swept back into panic as my throat closes against my will and my eyes prickle with tears as my body responds to the fear. I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest, nearly so loud I worry they’ll be able to hear it.

            His hand is on the side of my face and my heart is hurting with how hard it’s pounding in my chest. “I’m glad you’re awake,” Dr. Cullen tells me gently but I now worry there’s nothing good about him.

            “I’m not,” I whisper. I look down to find I’m on the couch and I wonder how long I was out. Usually, my fear that would earn some kind of response but Esme stands there motionless and expressionless like a statue while Carlisle moves back. _‘More like marble statues’_ I think. Yeah. That fits them better. “Where’s my cat?” I ask a little stronger this time. Nothing. “I said where’s my fucking cat?” I shout at them. Bingo.

            “In the bathroom,” is my only reply from Esme.

            “Alive? Dead? Maybe buried in my yard instead?” I snark. Another sigh graces both of their lips.

            “No, she’s in the bathroom right here in your house. She was trying to maul us, so we put her in a less stressful environment,” Esme explains quietly.

            I roll my eyes. “I wish I was in a less stressful environment,” I mutter but I know they both somehow hear me.

            “Please excuse us as we skip niceties, but we know you know.” I blanch as their gold eyes gaze deep and I mean really fuckin’ deep. But do you know what you should do in this situation? Lie and deny your ass off, and that’s exactly what I’m planning on doing.

            “I know what?”

            “Our secret.”

            “What secret?” I ask dumbly. It seems to not disturb their mood but I want them to be angry and slip up on something.

            “The **secret** ,” Carlisle stresses.

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “We know that you know what we are.”

            “I know that you’re a man and a woman and that you’re married,” I explain patiently. At this point, my panic is settling down and I’m just trying to fuck with them.

            “I would have been able to tell you we would get nowhere,” Esme comments again and I can’t help but smile internally at their arguing. “Carlisle this is getting us nowhere.”

            “Yeah, I would just leave for now,” I lead them on as I walk toward the door, looking back at them. _‘Where is he?’_ I think as Carlisle is nowhere to be found. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I turn slowly to meet Carlisle’s golden eyes and let out another scream. I cover my mouth quickly and try to calm my heartbeat.

            “Sit down April.” There’s the tone I won’t be able to argue with. With both of them sitting across from me, I feel like I’m about to get a stern talking to which is not where I want to be or be doing. It’s nearing 3am and I’m almost done with this.

            “Now we know that you know about us, and we simply want to stay here and live in peace. We don’t feed on hu-,” he doesn’t get to finish though.

            “Woah there! I feel like you’re the ones that don’t fully understand,” I begin even though it’s probably not good to interrupt. “The more you tell me, the less I can deny if I’m ever asked so I need you to stop talking and leave. Stop confirming my crazy theories and shut up about it.” They both exchange glances, letting me continue with my tirade.

            “Every time I have tried to back myself out of this, you all have given me more information than I’ve found out and you’re being idiots about it. I’m not going to tell anyone anything but if you keep telling me stuff then if I’m ever asked then I really do know the truth. Got it?” It’s quiet for a few moments, the only sound in the room is the ticking of the clock and then there’s a small ‘meow’ echoing through the house.

            “Excuse me,” I tell the two dumbfounded statues to let my poor cat out of the bathroom. She’s shaking like a leaf as I pick her up and coo to her softly. The pure dread in my chest isn’t going away and it feels cold. It feels colder than Carlisle’s hand on my skin. I walk cautiously back into the other room only to find them both sitting there and watching me.

             “Ow!” I hiss as small claws dig into my arm leaving red punctures. There’s a shift in the room, I can feel it in the base of my genetics if that were even remotely possible. The hairs on my arm stand up and I suddenly feel like the deer surrounded by the wolves, frightened and small, with no way out.

             “Esme leave.” It’s a clear command for her and yet she shakes her head. I can see her hands on the table clenching so hard I’m sure she’d break them.

             “Is there something wrong?” I ask meekly I take a step forward, but Mitten’s lets out a growling sound along with hissing and spitting at the woman, so I step away from the table. I understand why I felt like I was surrounded by something dangerous; because I am.

             “Your eyes,” I whisper with a gaping mouth while they remain motionless. _‘They’re black! Her eyes are completely black!’_ I think with fear. I’m positive they were gold, absolutely positive this time! I take another small step back and then against my better judgment I drop my cat and I run.

             My feet slide against the wood and I curse myself for not taking my socks off of my feet. I get about as far as my front door, opening it a few inches before a white hand slams next to my head, making my left ear ring and releasing a scream from my throat. It slams the door shut with a greater force than I’ve ever encountered.

             Tears instantly spring from my eyes as I know this is it. I can feel cold breath against my neck and it terrifies me. I can smell peroxide coming from him and this scent like no other. My legs give out sending me, a crying, shaking, sniveling mess, to the ground in front of leather dress shoes.

             “We don’t mean you any harm April. We just want to live here in peace,” Carlisle starts off in a regular tone but ends softly. I take the chance to look away from the door and at him behind me, finding him kneeling on the ground with an intense expression on his face. “We only need to know you won’t tell anyone,” he continues.

             “P-please get awa-ay-ay from me-e-e,” I cry, trying to push myself closer to the door by shuffling my feet, only succeeding in sliding, hitting his shoes and hurting my ribs more. Sob after sob is ripped from my throat as he just squats there looking like he’s actually sorry about all of this. “Ple-e-ase go-o,” I whisper the broken words to the air as I turn my face to the side, hoping he’ll leave if I don’t look at him. My chest is aching and burning fiercely, protesting as fractures in my ribs add more tears to my eyes. “Ah!” I cry out and clutch my ribs as a sharp pain lances through my side.

             “April, relax,” he reaches out and I thrash out of his strangely gentle hold, but it sounds like he’s under water since he’s so muffled. It’s hard to breathe as the air becomes hot, too hot to take a breath or to think as more spots come to the edges of my vision. “April I’m not here to hurt you. You’re alright,” he tries to calm me down, but it doesn’t do as much as he hopes.

              I clench my eyes shut again, hoping if I shut them tightly enough that he’ll disappear along with my sight. “You need to relax. If you continue like this then you’ll cause more damage to your ribs,” he interjects after another moment of my continuing to shake and rattle with sobs.

              I throw my hands over my head, tangling them roughly in my hair and suck in the deepest breath I can manage. “GET OUT!” I shout at the top of my lungs. “Get out of my house you VAMPIRE!” I yell the last word without even thinking. Saying it out loud shocks me out of my sobs for a moment, temping me to open up my eyes only to find nothing in front of me. Nothing. No Cullen’s and no black eyes staring at me. “I’m crazy,” I whisper. “I’m losing my mind,” I hyperventilate.

              I turn all of the lights in the house on, checking every room and every closet for the pale people, creatures, things, whatever they are! Mitten’s seems pretty relaxed so I think I’m alright for right now. I take every precaution and lock every window in the small house. Breath after breath helps me come down from my anxiety high and I can barely keep my eyes open but I don’t want to go to sleep. If I go to sleep then they’ll come back, and I can’t be unaware when that happens, unlike last time.

              I decide to make a cup of coffee, which is a very rare occasion for me, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I take the steaming cup, black, and have a seat in my living area with my eyes trained on the door. The warmth and bitter liquid keeps me up and alert for the time being. I refuse to take the pain medication, needing to be sharp and aware now.

              I don’t know how long I sit there but cup after cup of coffee is sipped until sunlight floods the room, nearly unnoticeable to me because of the lights in the room. I can feel my heartbeat in my fingertips and toes from the amount of caffeine coursing through my veins. _‘I can’t fall asleep’_ my brain tells my tired body, forcing me to get up and go to the machine for another cup only to find it empty.

            ‘Knock!’ ‘Knock!’ The sound sends the cup and carafe slipping out of my hands, shattering on the ground and sending pieces flying of glass and ceramic over the wood and tile of the kitchen. “April?” A rough voice comes through and I could almost cry again at how nervous the simple sound of my name makes me feel. “April, did something break?”

            “April?” another voice calls and if I had been carrying anything else, I would have dropped it as well. _‘Paul is with him’_ my brain consoles me.

            “Sam!” I cry out hesitantly. The handle tries to turn and even the sound of the small clicks makes me visibly flinch.

            “Do you mind unlocking the door here?” There’s a pause as I try to come up with words instead of tears but that’s going nowhere. “April? Are you alright? April? I don’t want to break the door or something,” he chuckles nervously. I feel frozen in place.

            “It’s us,” Paul calls as though he doesn’t think I know it’s him.

            “Give me a minute,” I croak. Taking a few breaths to steady myself I shuffle through the shards and reach a trembling hand to unlock the door with a small ‘click’. Sam immediately opens the door, taking in me standing in front of the shards probably with dark bags under my eyes and puffy eyelids from crying. “Sam?” I whisper his name like a question, hoping with all of my being that it really is him and this isn’t another dream (or nightmare). I can feel the tears begin to trickle down my cheeks again as everything begins to really take its toll on me.

            Luckily for me, he doesn’t say another word as he strides across the small distance and engulfs me in a warm and good hug.

            “What happened here?” Paul asks as he takes in the whole scene from behind Sam. “Are you hurt? Is it your head? Your ribs?” he asks but I shake my head in Sam’s hug. The human contact and the warmth coming off of Sam is comforting on a level I didn’t know I had or even wanted right now and makes me relax in his touch, sleep coming at me like a train.

            “Hey, hey, hey April, talk to me here. What’s goin’ on?” Sam tries to coax me to keep eye contact but I can’t keep my head on straight let alone keep my eyes open.

            “Tired,” I whisper faintly. I raise my eyebrows as I try to push my eyelids back up, only succeeding in failing. I try to keep my eyes locked on Sam’s dark brown ones but I feel my eyes roll back into my head as I can’t keep them open for a second longer.

            “Hey!” Sam shouts as I begin to fall over from his grip, the last thing I hear is him and Paul calling my name before being pulled under by sleep.

 

**Third Person POV**

The two men barely have time to hold onto her as she suddenly becomes slack in Sam’s arms and makes a slide for the ground. “April!” Sam yells and Paul mimics him as he dives to support the rest of her body while Sam holds onto her shoulders. “Let her down,” he instructs the younger man. “Watch the ribs,” he remembers suddenly.

            “Should we call someone? What about that doctor friend of hers,” Paul suggests but that sets off some internal red flags for Sam as he remembers her last words about the Cullen’s. _‘They scare me.’_

            “No, she whispered something- uh- ‘tired’? I think before she passed out. We can stay until she wakes up or you can, or I can,” he begins to list off all of the options but Paul shakes his head.

            “I’ll go grab her pan out of the trunk and we can wait here. Can you get her to the couch, or do you want help carrying her to bed?” he asks.

            Sam thinks for a second, not wanting to freak her out any more than she will be but deciding to be better safe than sorry. “Help me get her in my arms and I’ll put her in bed,” he decides as he sizes her up. Paul helps arrange her in Sam’s arms before running to the car and back. “Can you get the door and covers? Perfect.” She releases a small sigh as she’s placed in the familiar feeling bed.

            They leave the door open as they go out into the living area before noticing all of the lights are on. “Hey,” Paul catches his friend’s attention as he points to the light switches and then to the lit bulbs with confusion. “Let’s turn these off too,” he suggests. They go around the house, picking things up, sweeping the shards from the ground, and dumping out the untouched water on the coffee table before sitting and waiting.

            “I know we didn’t get invited to stay but can’t we at least settle if she’s going to be asleep for so long?” Paul asks after an hour and a half of sitting in the quiet of the house. Sam nods his head, going back to the door and taking off his shoes and then tossing the TV remote to Paul.

            “I’m gonna grab a glass of water,” Sam says passingly as he moves into the kitchen. “Want one?” Paul nods, so returning with two glasses and slightly peering into April’s room. _‘Hasn’t moved an inch’_ he thinks with a sigh. “I should call Emily and tell her what’s goin’ on,” he mutters.

            Paul hears bits and pieces of the conversation going on outside as to not disturb April but then there’s more of a commotion that makes him pop his head out of the door.

            “No Emily it’s fine. I don’t think she needs everyone here right now.” He can hear her voice through the receiver before she stops to take a breath. “No, we’ll be here until she wakes up and can tell us what happened herself.” Another pause.

            “No Em that’s what I’m trying to say. We just showed up and there was glass and mug everywhere and some chair out of place, and then she practically just fell over right there! Yeah like collapsed right in front of us,” he explains for the second time. “Fine,” he sighs. “If you want to come over you can, but I don’t want her to be overwhelmed. It’ll be enough of a shock with me and Paul.” There’s less talking through the other end but finally, he snaps the phone shut before heading back in.

            “Now we wait?”

            “Now we wait.”

            Over at the Cullen house, all hell is breaking loose.

            “You had to push her didn’t you?” Alice asks rhetorically. Carlisle opens his mouth to reply but no one wants to hear what he or Esme have to say. “You should have let me handle it! I could have told you what would happen if you kept going and now we are sure she knows about us!” she seethes.

            “We might as well go back to Alaska at this point,” harps Rosalie from the corner couch cushion. “The whole fucking town will know by the end of the month,” she continues before deflating at a well-timed glare from her fake parents.

            “I understand fear pretty well but it’s not controllable. She could change courses at the last minute and Alice won’t have an idea of what she could do,” explains Jasper from the window. “She won’t let us interact with her now. I can try to calm her down enough to talk with her but it’s a little difficult with her smelling like that,” he shudders thinking of the way she smelled so sweet the last time. “And with her damned cat,” he complains as the others nod.

            “Are you sure the cat isn’t supernatural as well? I had a hard enough time getting it in the bathroom without it escaping again,” Esme mutters tiredly. The nights are too long for those who don’t sleep and she feels as though she could use some right about now.

            “With how you said she reacted, I would have to touch her to have nearly any effect on her mood but then we don’t want her to be even more terrified of us,” he plans softly with the rest of the family. “I guess we’ll have to see what the next few days bring us.”

            “Esme and I should go hunting for a little while before we try anything. Having her know is bad for us but having her death pointing to us is worse, or even worse her disappearance.” Carlisle unnecessarily sighs to himself at what a great mess he’s made for everyone and all because of Jasper and a wilderness camera. A wilderness camera of all things in the world!

            “So we should wait?”

            “We should wait.”


	8. Straying off the Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April has been laying low for some time until she's forced to come back to real life with real life problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own twilight or any of its characters, only my own.
> 
> Thanks for everyone who is sticking around for this story and for any new readers who have stumbled onto it. I love all of your comments and kudos that you leave, and hope you love this chapter as well!  
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**Chapter 8**

_April POV_

It’s been a week and a half since I’ve begun staying at Sam’s house with Mittens, stuck in my room with me, and it’s been two days since my ribs healed up and my face is looking back to normal. I’m still far from alright. Sam and Paul were at my house when I woke up and then I started crying all over again when I realized it wasn’t some sick nightmare. I had almost told them everything one night after that.

            The urge was nearly impossible to control and I could feel the words on the tip of my tongue, dancing wildly in my brain, but then there was the fear that reared up behind it. Fear that the Cullen’s would kill me, fear that the Cullen’s would kill them. Hell, fear they would kill the whole fucking town! That feeling of petrifying fear has been choking me ever since.

            It was a chore trying to get them to back off of me. Paul looked at me sideways for a whole day while I tried to convince him I was fine. Honestly, it was like he expecting me to fall over again or faint.

            “Hey, April, maybe you should think about going back home for a little. You know? Try getting everything back to normal.” Sam sounds less sure of himself than he ever has since I’ve met him and I can tell by the way his voice trembles that he isn’t comfortable with the idea.

             I try to keep my emotions under control but ever since that last ambush from Carlisle I only need to think about them before I burst into terrified tears and now is no different, but I can’t tell him why. I can’t tell him that they ambushed me, made me faint twice, violated my privacy and threatened to do it again. They said they didn’t want to hurt me but doesn’t this hurt me as well?

             I don’t want to overstay my welcome, _‘No matter how safe it may be here’_ I remind myself. “Yeah, of course! That’s a really good idea. I can start getting back to normal again,” I joke. I can tell Sam sees right through my charade but I slap a smile on, hoping that it will take the edge off of his worry.

             “You know you’re always welcome here-,” he stops suddenly before sighing. “Whatever it is, whatever you don’t want to tell me about, I know you can get through it and I will be here to help if you need me. Emily and I just are trying get you back to normal, ya know?” he asks again and I nod.  I do understand, and even though I know they’re trying to get me back to normal it still hurts a little.

             Going to work has been quite the chore lately. I’ve stopped getting enjoyment from the smell of soil and plants growing, instead trying to stay in sight of the cameras if the Cullen’s ever come back in. I can’t go to the greenhouse or out to the trees in the back because of the lack of security there. _‘I should tell Mary about that’_ I think as I mentally add that to my list of things to do.

             The drive home drives my anxiety up a few notches until all I can think about is the broken carafe and mug breaking shrilly on the wood, Carlisle’s hand slamming the door shut, and Esme’s black eyes. I shiver in the warm car.

             The house is just as I left it with not a single item out of place. The screaming meows of Mittens snaps me back to reality long enough to let her out of the crate and get her set back up here with her food dish and water. _‘At least she’s happy being back home’_ I think bitterly as she curls up on the couch, showing her tummy as a dangerous invitation and reestablishing her fur balls everywhere.

             “Don’t get into trouble again, alright?” She licks her chops before hopping back down to munch on the food I’ve given as I get ready for work. My self-given uniform of overalls and rain boots is nice and familiar as I take one more look back at her, silently willing her to be safe and rip the Cullen’s apart if she ever sees them again. I almost want to call in to work again but I know I’m almost out of favors from my injury and then from the incident with the Cullen’s.

              The shop is oddly quiet as the day goes by. I tell Steven to work the back, giving him every excuse in the book like the lights hurt my eyes, I’m feeling dizzy today, and then that I’m older than him and in a higher position. I know it’s a jerk move but I’m worried that if I stray out of the front with the cameras I’m going to either get ambushed again or maybe even get murdered by the Cullen’s.

              “Hey Steven, can you get those pots from the greenhouse please!” I call out to him as I continue to sweep the shop for what seems like the fifth time today. _‘This place can’t get much cleaner.’_

              “Sorry April! I can’t! I’ve gotta run back home to finish some homework. Bye!” he excuses himself in a hurry and leaves me standing there like an idiot afraid to leave the shop.  With that last word the door shuts with a clattering ring of the bell and he’s gone for the night, leaving me alone here. Alone with my only line of defense being the crappy security cameras in one part of the damn building.

               I look nervously between the fluoresced lights, the setting sun outside, and then the front door of the shop. _‘Mary is going to be pissed if I don’t get these pots filled tonight’_ I war with myself. “Shit man,” I sigh heavily to myself. Putting down the broom tentatively I take a deep breath to steady myself. When I reach the greenhouse door my hand hesitates in turning the handle. “You can do this,” I tell myself lowly as I turn the knob with a soft ‘click’.

               The first step into the greenhouse is oddly quiet. It’s like when the silence feels so suffocating around you it’s like a blanket. _‘Not too bad right’_ I assure myself. I simply walk straight over to where the plastic pots are and just grab them, trying to shake this feeling and that anxiety that is slowly creeping up.

              “Stop it April!” I set the pots back down hard, running my hands through my hair with my elbows digging into the plywood table. “Stop being crazy for one minute,” I mutter again before picking up the pots, making sure I have a good grip on them and turning around to-.

              “April?” another voice calls suddenly. I spin around, bringing the pots with me, accidentally dropping them (throwing them) every which way out of instinct. The pots go crashing to the floor with a bunch of noise and there’s that feeling that I suddenly need to cry and run as fast as I can as far away as I can.

              “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I yell incredulously while my every instinct is telling me to run, and I nearly do as my feet dart toward the door only to force myself to plant them again.

               Jasper stands there like some statue but he’s not even trying to look innocent or coy about not being human. He’s a vampire and he knows it. He fucking knows it. He’s less than ten feet away but I know it’s no use to run. I had a bigger gap at home and Carlisle still got me just as easily that I have no possible doubt in my mind he can do the same.

              “It’s alright. I just want to talk about knowing we’re vampires.” He chuckles at the shock that must cross my face. “I didn't want to beat around the bush here, so I want to put everything on the table between us. When my parents told you we only wanted to live here in peace we really mean it.”

               I try to form words but nothing wants to come out of my mouth except a very light, “Go.” He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders as if to silently say ‘why’.

             “There were a lot of misunderstandings that happened with the cameras and trying to be normal, but we won’t hurt you. That is something that we all can agree on that we don’t want you to get hurt from us or by us for that matter.” His reassurances are doing nothing and he knows that, he must, but he still doesn’t let up. “So if you have questions then please go ahead and ask.” Silence. I feel like I can't breathe. “Nothing? Not even a ‘do you eat people?’” Silence again.

 _'No people?’_ “Wait what? I don’t- but- I-,” I stutter as my mind is rattling like a maraca as all I can imagine is the classic Bram Stoker’s Dracula vampire biting an innocent woman’s throat. It’s worse when that image changes to an image of Jasper instead of Dracula and that alone makes me want to vomit.

               He raises one perfect eyebrow and looks at me carefully. “I told you there was no reason to be afraid,” he tries to assure again with a heartbreaking smile.

               I feel the response coming out of my mouth before I can control it. It's nearly ingrained in me to deny, at this point. “I’m not afrai-,” I start less surely than I’d like. The fucker actually laughs at that as he interrupts me.

               “I know you are. I can feel your emotions.” He has the fucking nerve to look me right in the eyes with a smirk and a twinkle in his eyes. _‘That smug bastard!’_

               “That’s not possible. That’s like some type of x-men shit.” I shake my head in disbelief because in my wildest dreams vampires don't have powers. That's not in the lore or the stories!

               “Well, I am a vampire so it goes back much further than the x-men. I understand that you’re feeling angry and afraid right now, but it’s alright. We also have some other interesting ‘x-men powers’ as you call it like super speed,” he smirks again. “Here I'll show you. Let me help with these,” he points to the pots that are scattered across the floor and before I can even blink my eyes once, all of the pots are cleaned up and he’s standing right in front of me, holding them as if it weighs no more than a feather when it takes nearly all of my strength.

 I don't know if it's my imagination or if it's real but I can smell him from here. The smell of moss and leather fills my nose to the point it makes my breath hitch. ‘I _can’t do this’_ I whimper to myself as I reel back from his proximity to me, leading me to land right on my butt and right on the dirty ground, scrambling furiously to get back to my feet with my hands defensively outstretched in front of me.

              “Stop! Stop! Please get away from me! Please I don’t-,” I can’t finish my sentence as the tightness and pressure in my chest begins to become too much along with the shock, making it more difficult to breathe. I press my hand over my heart as hard as I can, hoping it will help ground me in some way. Somewhere I make a mental note to curse the tears stinging at my lids. The last thing I want to do is close my eyes but they burn from staying open trying to watch him so I take the chance and give it a blink. Nothing. He does nothing.

            “I can help with that too.” I hear Jasper in my ears but it’s muffled like trying to talk to someone through a door. I must make a face because he repeats himself and then I hear the thing he can help with. “You know, the panic. I can make it go away. I can make it stop with my ability,” he elaborates with a smooth, deep tone to his voice but a small flare of his hands.

            I wish it were that easy. “You’re lying! I don’t trust- I don’t trust you,” I choke out harshly as I blink again to clear the tears, this time taking the risk to keep them closed longer. When I bother cracking my eyes open he’s only a few feet away, closer than before so I walk backwards to mirror him until I feel another plywood table behind me against my lower back. "STOP!"

            Everything about him is calm, his golden eyes hypnotizing but remind me of Esme’s, and his stance is the least threatening part about him as he takes a step back at my words. “How about I’ll do it this once and only once unless you ask me otherwise. I won’t force you to do anything April. If you take my hand, I can make it go away, I promise. I won’t try anything else at all,” he assures over my hyperventilating. “In fact, I’ll stay back here and I won’t come any closer. It will be alright April. Take my hand,” he persuades continuously, and I vaguely wonder why I’m even considering taking it, but somehow I am.

            I’m sick of feeling like this. I’m sick of feeling afraid of them and overwhelmed by all of this! My resolve is cracking little by little until I break. “You swear?”

            “I do.”

            “Say it.”

            He holds out his hand slowly, almost as if it were just two friends. “I swear. I know it sounds like a trick but just a touch will make it go away."

            With how much my chest is burning and how tired I am of being so terrified of him, and he did say a touch, nothing more if I don't want to. _'What's the harm?'_  "It won't. . . hurt or anything?" I wonder softly. The last shake of his head is what gets me. I take it.

             I stretch my hand out, willing it to stop shaking long enough to gently touch my fingertips to his ice cold palm and the relief I feel is instant. The warmth begins flooding over me like a fresh high, like my head is clearing out all of the smoke. It's slow in other parts, oozing like molasses up my arms and into my chest, forcing the panic to stop dead in its tracks. The sensation feels so good I slide my hand further out until my palm is flat against his. In the back of my mind it reminds me of putting my hand on a slab of ice, uncomfortable but tolerable for the moment.

             My breathing is somehow forced to normal and my heart rate slams on the metaphorical breaks as calm is forced over me like something I’ve never felt before. Every breath is easier on my poor lungs and he’s true to his word and stays put until I’ve calmed down. I'm the first to take my hand back, rubbing it to bring heat back in and wonder whether or not I just made the right choice.

             “How did you do that?” I’m surprised my voice doesn’t shake and even more surprised when the panic doesn’t come back. _‘Best come down I’ve ever had’_ I think hazily.

              He flashes a dazzling smile before shrugging. “Like I said, it’s my vampire power,” he jokes lightly. “I’ve never known anything different, I mean it’s always been there.”

              “Since you- you know-,” I trail off, referring to his vampire transformation thingy. He nods again.

              “Since I was turned,” he supplies and this time it’s my turn to nod. It’s quiet despite the sound of my clothes shifting as I take the pots from the workbench and begin filling them with soil and mulch so I can go home. He doesn’t do anything but lean against the workbench next to me, keeping a generous distance like he also promised.

              “So, uh, is there anything else that vampires can do?” I ask quietly after a moment of work, not looking him in the eye. I wouldn't call it second-hand embarrassment but I feel embarrassed about something as the silence grows again. The insects provide good background noise between us.

              “Well, we can stick with the x-men comparison if that’ll help,” he says and I can hear the smirk in his voice without looking at all. “We have super-hearing and super-strength, heightened senses with everything. For example, I can hear your heart right now.” Alright, now that makes me stop what I’m doing and look at him incredulously.

              “Seriously?”

              He makes the same expression back, both eyebrows raised and a slight smirk along the corner of his mouth. “Seriously.”

              “How much crazier does all of this get?” I wonder hesitantly. This night is getting more emotionally draining by the second! There are no more feelings of panic or fear but just some of curiosity.  _‘Curiosity killed the cat_.’ “You said before that you ‘don’t eat people’? What does that mean?”

              “What do you think vampires drink?”

              Stupid question. “Blood.” I shake my head in disbelief and then look at him again. “So what is it then? Blood bags from the hospital?” He laughs at what I think is my stupidity and I feel like this is an odd discussion. It’s almost as if it’s just between friends, you know if friends talked about the other friend drinking blood and hearing your heart pound in your chest. “Stop fucking laughing at me,” I scoff at him. “I don’t want you here if you’re going to laugh at me and honestly make my life harder.”

               “I’m also sorry about that.” The funny thing is that he actually sounds sincere. “I’m sorry that you’ve been caused so much trouble because of us. We’re very secretive about our way of life but as you know now it’s for good reason.”

               “Yeah, I guess,” I whisper as I pat the top of the last pot. I take a look at my watch and sigh at the time. It’s much later than I thought and the sun has set fully.

               “Well we don’t drink human blood but we do feed off the animals here,” he explains nonchalantly as I continue to layer and plant seeds.

               It’s like a little lightbulb goes off over my head. “The animals you buried?” He nods again. There’s a long pause as I try to think around all of the pieces that I knew of but didn’t know how they fit. At least now it makes sense. “So you only kill animals?" He nods again. The relief that I feel at that moment is nearly as pure as the feelings Jasper sent me. "So, um, you should go because I have to get these set up and then leave for the night.”

               He takes a second where he rests his head in his hands and almost looks human, only for a moment before nodding again. He begins to walk out of the greenhouse but then stops and turns back to look at me. “You know we won’t all bother you now that you know. It can just be me bothering you if you’d like, or not at all,” he offers softly.

               I slow my work until I’m standing there staring back at him. _‘Just him? None of his other crazy family members?’_ “If it's just you then I’ll think about it.”

              “Alright then,” he smiles. “Have a good rest of your night.” When I turn back around with a full pot in my arms he’s gone. I don’t know how to feel about this. Afraid? No, he told me that it would be my choice to see him again so I shouldn’t have to worry about them kicking in my front door. He told me I shouldn’t be afraid and for some reason, I also believe him about that.

               With the last of the pots put away I hop into my car and drive away in the dark, feeling better than I have in a while. Calm. “Mittens? I’ve had quite the day sweetie! You wouldn’t believe it,” I shake my head as I disrobe. Finally settled in my pajamas I keep all of the lights on in the main part of the house, unwilling to let myself sit in darkness. Not for a long time at least.

 _‘There’s not enough stimuli in this house’_ I think as the silence is pressing on me. The only thing that’s giving me enough to focus on is the rumbling purr Mittens is giving off. I think about Jasper’s offer and for some crazy, sick, stupid reason I want to call them, him and ask to talk. _‘Stupid’_ I berate myself. _‘That’s just a stupid idea.’_ I'm kicking myself at this point, knowing that I've done something monumentally stupid and irresponsible by talking to him and telling him that I'd think about his offer.

                “Sit on it and see how you feel in a week,” I whisper to myself. Maybe tomorrow I can walk on the beach. Thoughts of the Cullen’s never were so intrusive there. I mean it’s getting colder now but not to the point I can’t stay outside and enjoy the ocean. I guess that’s what I’ll do tomorrow then. Spend it on my own and think about all of the options I have, think about if I want to continue my “vampire talks” with Jasper. I’ll think about it tomorrow.

_THE NEXT DAY_

               The water is coming up in waves, most likely a storm that’s going to come in.  _'I_ _t seems like there are more of those lately.'_  I respond by tightening my coat around me then shoving my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. Everything is so grey on one side with the water crashing over and over and then evergreen on the other with the dense forests that I know are hiding monsters. _‘Stop distracting yourself!’_ I sigh mentally.

               Maybe I should go away for a bit. Take a trip and see my parents, go hiking or something. Maybe I should move somewhere warm like California or at least somewhere not so grey and full of problems. I would take a crowded and possibly dangerous city versus a small town with vampires that could kill everyone.

               It’s a horrible thing warring with yourself. It’s horrible to second guess yourself and every thought you have when there was a time you were self assure. It’s all maybe this, maybe that, maybe over and over in my head. It’s all fleeting. Jasper said that they don’t hurt anyone, and they don’t want to hurt me, but I’m not too sure about that either. What if I become a problem, then will they just get rid of me too? Rip me apart and dump me somewhere in the Washington wilderness? My thoughts are just running rampant today and I feel like it'll make my head split open.

              My cellphone vibrates in my pocket and when I look at the caller ID it has Sam’s name in bright letters. “Hello?”

             “Hey, I was callin’ to see how you were doing. Adjusting okay?” Oh god he sounds so innocent. 

             “Yeah I’m doing a little better than before. Uh, Sam,” I pause for a second and take a deep breath, “they stopped by my work.”

            “They as in. . .?” he trails off cautiously.

            “Yeah them. Jasper stopped by work and it was terrifying,” I finish in a whisper. I don’t think that they will be able to hear me here. The tribal story said they have to stay off of the reservation, so I hope that applies to now. I don’t think they’ll spend all their time tracking me either seeing as they also have real lives.

            “Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?” Sam seems just as alarmed as I would have thought considering that I told him the whole family terrifies me.

            “I’m fine but I don’t know what they’re playing at! They just show up when they want to and there’s this just casual arrogance about it and it just freaks me out. Sam, it’s eating me up!” I feel bad because I just dumped everything on him without dumping the worst part but I can’t help but feel bad about involving him. I can’t take it though.

            “April,” he begins slowly, “do you need me to call the police for you? Do you think they’re watching you?”

            “No, I don’t think so. I think I’m just being paranoid but their whole dropping in on me is making it very. . .difficult for me to not freak out.”

            “If they try anything with you then you tell me. Hell, you can live on the rez if you need to! I’ll talk to some people and pull some strings if I have to, but April just be very careful.” There’s more silence between the lines and the only way I know he’s still on the line is because of the static. “Are you safe right now? Are you planning on staying at home?”

            “Um, yeah I am. Jasper said that they weren’t going to bother me anymore but I don’t really believe him. They seem nice but I just don’t know, ya know? I’ll tell you if anything comes up though or if I need help alright?”

            He sighs on the other end before I hear a puff of air. Probably him being huffy. “Promise me that you will.”

            My throat closes up at his tone and makes me feel like at least someone is watching out for me. This whole thing has me doubting if I’m even an adult. I feel like a scared child instead.

            “I promise Sam.” With that said I press the end call button and decide it’s too cold, so I make a walk back to my car, and the whole way there I imagine the pitch black eyes and ice cold skin.


End file.
